System and method for creating target byte code

ABSTRACT

A system and method for converting byte code of a first type into byte code of a second type. Byte code of a first type and markup language code are received as inputs. The first byte code is converted into constituent byte code data elements that can comprise any logical unit or grouping of at least a portion of a software application. The markup language code is converted into constituent markup language data elements that can comprise individual markup language tags and references to data or functionality in the first byte code. The first byte code data elements and markup language data elements are mapped to data elements of a second byte code type. The second byte code data elements are assembled into a resulting second byte code.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C.§119(e) to U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/661,061 entitled“SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CREATING TARGET BYTE CODE,” filed on Mar. 11,2005 and U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/663,484 entitled“SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CREATING TARGET BYTE CODE,” filed on Mar. 18,2005, both of which are incorporated in their entirety by referenceherein. The present application is also related to a commonly owned U.S.patent application entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CREATING TARGET BYTECODE,” filed concurrently herewith, the entirety of which isincorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to computer code, and morespecifically to a system and method for improved conversion of computercode to target computer byte code of a second type.

2. Description of the Related Art

Traditionally, most computer programs comprised machine-dependent,system-level instructions. A program would be written in a higher levellanguage (source code), such as C or C++, and converted into machineinstructions (object code) that could be executed by a computerprocessor. While the resulting object code could be executed veryefficiently, source code compiled on one computer architecture (forexample, the Microsoft Windows® operating system environment on an IntelPentium® processor-based computer system) could not subsequently run ona different architecture (such as an Apple Macintosh® operating systemenvironment on a PowerPC™ processor-based computer system) (WINDOWS is aregistered trademark of Microsoft Corp., PENTIUM is a registeredtrademark of Intel Corp., MACINTOSH is a registered trademark of AppleComputer, Inc., and POWERPC is a trademark of International BusinessMachines Corp.). To properly execute a program on different computerarchitectures, programmers typically undertook steps to re-compilesource code for each target architecture. Additionally, machine-specificdifferences often required significant revision to the program's sourcecode in order to even enable recompilation for a different architecture.

A modern innovation to this traditional method of compiling source codeinto machine-level object code is to use intermediate byte languages andbyte code interpreters. Byte code (also known as “bytecode” or“byte-code”) is a form of intermediate language that is typically moreabstract than object code, but closer to machine language than a higherlevel language. Examples of languages that compile to byte code includeJava™ from Sun Microsystems, Inc. and languages that target the CommonLanguage Infrastructure (CLI) from Microsoft Corporation (JAVA is atrademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc.). A program that utilizes byte codeis initially programmed in source code. The source code is then compiledinto byte code. Compiled Java byte codes, for example, are typically inthe form of “.class” or “.jar” files. The Common Language Infrastructureis an implementation of the Standard ECMA-335 specification. Source codewritten under the Common Language Infrastructure can be compiled toCommon Intermediate Language (CIL) byte code. Common IntermediateLanguage byte code is typically packaged in a .Net Assembly, which cancomprise Common Intermediate Language byte code, assembly metadata, typemetadata and other resources. A .Net Assembly may be a standalone fileor comprise multiple files. Metadata known as the assembly manifestdescribes how the elements in a given assembly relate to each other.Compiled byte code, whether standalone or contained in a larger package,can be interpreted by a byte code interpreter (also called a virtualmachine) that translates the byte codes into machine level instructions.Examples of virtual machines include the Java Virtual Machine from SunMicrosystems and the Common Language Runtime (CLR), also called theVirtual Execution System, from Microsoft Corporation.

Thus, by way of example, a programmer using the Common LanguageInfrastructure can program an application in higher-level language suchas Microsoft's C# or Visual Basic .Net and compile the program sourcecode into Common Intermediate Language byte code and package it into a.Net Assembly. The resulting byte code can then be run in the CLR.

Typically, a virtual machine is available for different computerarchitectures. The virtual machine can take input from a programcompiled in a standard byte code form and run the program on the nativecomputer architecture in which the machine resides. Thus, in contrast tomachine-specific object code, a byte code program can run in a virtualmachine on any different architecture (that has a virtual machine)without a recompilation or reprogramming of the underlying source code.By way of example, a Java program compiled into byte code could runwithout modification in a virtual machine on both an Apple Macintoshcomputer and a Microsoft Windows computer.

During this same time, markup languages such as eXtensible MarkupLanguage (XML) have gained popularity for their data descriptioncapabilities. Markup languages generally describe data and userinterfaces as well as the details of the structure and appearance ofboth. Although most markup languages typically comprise ASCII text,markup language files may alternatively be serialized in a binary form,such as Microsoft's Binary extensible Application Markup Language(BAML). Markup languages such as HTML are well known for defining textand layout descriptions. Graphics markup languages such as the ScalableVector Graphic (SVG) XML-based markup language can describetwo-dimensional vector graphics. Scripting markup languages allow aprogrammer to add functional program code to markup language code thatmay then execute in a web server and dynamically output different markuplanguage code. Exemplary scripting markup languages include Java ServerPages (JSP), Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP), Cold Fusion Markup Language(CFML) and Active Server Pages (ASP). For example, a programmer couldcreate a web page comprised of mostly HTML tags and further including aCFML tag that inserted the current date and time every time the page wasaccessed. Upon access by a client web browser, the CFML code wouldexecute and the web browser would receive an HTML page with the currentdate and time inserted as HTML data by the CFML code. Additionally,extensible languages such as XML allow programmers to define their owncustomized tags. This extensibility allows programmers to define,validate and interpret data exchanged between applications, even as theunderlying data formats change over time.

When used in conjunction with functional programming language code,markup languages can be used inter alia to define the layout andappearance of objects in a program. For example, Microsoft's eXtensibleApplication Markup Language (XAML), an XML-based language, allows aprogrammer to define user interfaces and instantiate objects defined inCommon Intermediate Language and contained in .Net Assembly packages.XAML and Common Intermediate Language code can be cross-referenced andexecuted by the Common Language Runtime. As an alternate example, XMLUser Interface Language (XUL) from the Mozilla Foundation is anXML-based language that can similarly describe the window layouts anduser interfaces for modular software components written in languagesincluding C, C++, and JavaScript using the Cross Platform ComponentObject Model (XPCOM) framework.

While byte code software applications, particularly when used inconjunction with markup language code, are quite useful and portable,one disadvantage of these approaches is that byte code of one typecannot be easily executed by a byte code interpreter of another type orconverted efficiently to byte code of another type. Thus, although bytecode may generally overcome machine-dependency, there is some level ofdependency on a specific byte code interpreter application. Developersgenerally have to manually re-code applications for different byte codeinterpreters, which can be quite difficult in the case where source codeis unavailable and only compiled byte code is on hand. Although sometools exist to disassemble compiled byte code into an assembly languageor higher level language, a developer still has to port that source codeto a different byte code language type in order to convert byte code ofa first type into byte code of another type. In these respects, creationof target byte code according to the present invention substantiallydeparts from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, andin doing so provides a system and method of byte code creation that ismore flexible, robust and efficient than conventional byte code creationmethods.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed toward a system and method forconverting data of a first type into data of a second type. Preferably,in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, byte code ofa first type and markup language code can be converted into byte code ofa second type. An example environment in which this embodiment can beapplied is a computer system. For example, in this environment, adeveloper can run a byte code conversion software application takingbyte code of a first type and markup language code as inputs and createbyte code of a second type as output.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, byte code of a firsttype and markup language code can be converted into byte code of asecond type. Byte code of a first type and markup language may beconverted as part of the same process, as entirely separate processes,or as a process on one type of code which then calls the other. Bytecode can comprise an intermediate code format that is typicallylower-level than source code, but typically more abstract andmachine-independent than object code. Examples of byte code includeCommon Intermediate Language, JAVA application or SHOCKWAVE FLASH(“SWF”) byte code. Markup language code can refer to objects, dataelements or other external information, as well as define layout anduser interfaces for text and graphics. Markup language code may alsoassociate markup language tags with objects in byte code of a first typeor define a user interface for a software application in byte code of afirst type. For example, a XAML, XML, or XUL markup language file coulddefine a graphical user interface and associate objects in CommonIntermediate Language byte code with the user interface. Markup languagefiles may also be converted to a binary markup language format, such asBAML.

In an additional embodiment according to the invention, the first bytecode type is the same as the second byte code type.

According to one aspect of the invention, markup language code may betransformed into a third byte code. In one embodiment, markup languagecode can be transformed into source code files of a byte codeprogramming language. Exemplary source code languages include any of theCommon Language infrastructure languages, and the Java and ActionScriptprogramming languages. The source code can then be compiled into bytecode of a third type or of the same type as the first source byte codeor second target byte code. The new byte code and original source bytecode are transformed into target byte code.

According to a further aspect of the invention, markup language code maybe converted into an object graph that refers to data elements of thefirst byte code. An object graph is typically a directed graph or treedata structure consisting of related objects. An object graph canrepresent at least a portion of markup language tags and/or markuplanguage references to byte code of a first type. In accordance with onealternative aspect of the invention, an object graph is created byparsing markup language code into an intermediate graph structure. Anintermediate graph structure reflects the original structure of thesource markup language code and is typically a tree structure.

According to another aspect of the invention, byte code of a first typemay be optionally converted into an intermediate language format and/oran intermediate data structure. The intermediate data structurepreserves and represents at least a portion of the semantics, syntax andmetadata contained in the byte code of a first type. An intermediatedata structure can be implemented, for example, as an abstract syntaxtree or abstract semantic graph. According to an optional embodiment, anintermediate data structure may be created by disassembling byte code ofa first type into an intermediate language format. Intermediate languageformat source code generally represents the lowest-level human-readablelanguage that can be derived from the byte code and is typically in theform of ASCII text. For example, Common Intermediate Language compiledbyte code can be disassembled into CIL Assembly Language source code (anintermediate language format). The intermediate language source code canthen be parsed into an intermediate data structure. According to analternative embodiment, higher-level source code can be converteddirectly into an intermediate data structure without first convertingthe source code into byte code. An object graph and byte code of asecond type or intermediate data structure may be converted into bytecode of a second type.

In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, byte code of afirst type and markup language is converted into one or more constituentmarkup language data elements. Both markup language data elements anddata elements of a first byte code type can be converted into dataelements of a second byte code type.

The data elements of a first byte code type can be mapped to one or moredata elements of a second type. Where a direct mapping of first tosecond byte code language formats is not possible or desired, one ormore second byte code data elements can be combined and mapped in orderto mimic the layout or functionality of the first byte code dataelement. The mapped data elements of a second type can be assembled intobyte code of a second type. Data elements can include any logical unitor grouping that comprises at least a portion of a software application.Data elements may include, for example, objects, instructions, metadata,variables, classes, functions, methods, or groupings thereof.Optionally, data elements may comprise remote “stub” functions, whichcontain instructions to remotely connect to a network resource. Forexample, remote data elements may execute a method on a network resourcenot available in the byte code of a second type, or may connect toinformation stores like a relational database for information.Optionally, byte code of a first type may be converted into anintermediate data structure, as described above. The intermediate datastructure may then be parsed into data elements of a first type.According to another aspect of the invention, the step of mapping dataelements of a first type to data elements of a second type may referenceone or more mapping libraries. A mapping library can containinstructions for mapping specific data elements of a first type to oneor more data elements of a second type. A mapping library may comprisedata structures such as hash tables, lookup tables, and/or arrays tofacilitate efficient lookup and mapping of data elements.

Markup language data elements can include data structures definingcolors, lines, shapes, text, and layout positions. Markup language dataelements may additionally comprise references to, for instance, objects,functionality or data in a first byte code. Markup language dataelements can be mapped to one or more data elements of a second bytecode type, with or without reference to a first byte code or first bytecode data elements. Data elements of a second byte code type and markuplanguage data elements can be assembled into byte code of a second type.According to another aspect of the invention, as described above, bytecode of a second type may be converted into an intermediate languageformat and/or intermediate data structure. A resulting intermediate datastructure may be converted into data elements of a first type.Similarly, markup language code may be converted into an intermediategraph structure and/or an object graph. An object graph may then beconverted into markup language data elements.

According to an aspect of the invention, bridging byte code of a secondtype may be inserted into byte code of a second type. During the dataelement mapping step, it is possible that not all of the first byte codeor markup language data elements can be successfully matched and mappedto data elements of a second type. In this case, an embodiment of thepresent invention can insert additional byte code of a second type toreplace or substitute missing data or functionality. The bridging bytecode may be inserted automatically in response to the data elementmapping process, according to one embodiment of the present invention.In an alternative embodiment, a developer or external softwareapplication may insert bridging byte code into byte code of a secondtype.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, one or more markuplanguage mapping libraries may be referenced during the data elementmapping process. A markup language mapping library is similar to a bytecode mapping library and contains instructions for mapping markuplanguage data elements to one or more data elements of a second type. Amarkup language mapping library and/or a byte code mapping library maybe referenced during the step of converting markup language dataelements and data elements of a first byte code type into data elementsof a second byte code type.

In one exemplary embodiment of the invention, XAML markup language codeis converted into markup language data elements, and Common IntermediateLanguage byte code is converted into byte code data elements. CommonIntermediate Language data elements can include, for example,namespaces, types, attributes and members. These exemplary data elementtypes can be discerned into further sub-categories of CommonIntermediate data element types. Common Intermediate Language dataelements can be mapped through various and alternative mapping steps toSWF data elements. The resulting SWF data elements can include SWF tags,records, action tags, and combinations thereof. SWF byte code can becreated from one or more SWF data elements. The Common IntermediateLanguage data elements can be mapped to one or more SWF data elements.XAML data elements can include, for example, colors, brushes, pens,shapes, text, images, animation, transforms, sound, video, and controls.Further, because XAML is an extensible language, additional custom XAMLdata elements can be created. The Common Intermediate Language dataelements and XAML data elements can be mapped through various mappingsteps to SWF data elements. The mapping process may optionallycross-reference one or more XAML data elements to one or more CommonIntermediate Language data elements. SWF data elements can be assembledinto a SWF byte code.

According to another aspect of the invention, byte code files of a firsttype or source code and markup language of a first type may be stored asinline data in a wrapping markup language code of a second type. In oneembodiment, the inline byte code and inline markup language code areextracted from the wrapping markup language code and converted into bytecode of a second type. Alternately, inline source code and inline markuplanguage code can be extracted from another wrapping markup languagecode and converted into a target second byte code.

According to an alternate aspect of the invention, byte code files of afirst type and optionally markup language files of a first type may beconverted into byte code of a second type and markup language of asecond type. In an alternate embodiment according to the presentinvention, byte code files of a first type and optionally markuplanguage files of a first type may be converted into source code of asecond type and markup language of a second type. In yet anotheralternate aspect of the invention, byte code files of a first type andmarkup language files can be converted into byte code of a second typeand media files such as image, audio, or video format files. Exemplaryimage file formats include Portable Network Graphics, Joint PhotographicExperts Group, Graphics Interchange Format, or bitmap formats. Exemplaryaudio file formats include Audio Interchange File Format, MP3, WAVEformaudio format, Windows Media Audio, Advanced Audio Coding, Ogg Vorbis, orReal Audio formats. Exemplary video file formats include QuickTime,MPEG, RealVideo, Audio Video Interleave, or Windows Media Video formats.

In one embodiment of the present invention, target byte code of a secondtype is transmitted across a network. The network can optionallycomprise a peer-to-peer, server-client or other network topology.According to a further aspect of the invention, source byte code may betransformed into one or more byte code components of a second type on anetwork computer. When a network user requests byte code of a secondtype from the network computer, the computer can return target secondbyte code by creating new byte code components and/or reusing existingbyte code components, and assembling all of the necessary componentsinto byte code of a second type.

Further features and advantages of the present invention, as well as thestructure and operation of various embodiments of the present invention,are described in detail below with reference to the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be described with reference to theaccompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicateidentical or functionally similar elements. Additionally, the left-mostdigit(s) of a reference number identifies the drawing in which thereference number first appears.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary computer hardwareembodiment in which the present invention can be implemented.

FIG. 2 is an operational flow diagram illustrating a method ofconverting byte code of a first type into byte code of a second typeaccording to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is an operational flow diagram illustrating a method ofdeveloping source code of a first type against development libraries ofa second type to produce compiled byte code of a first type according toone embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is an operational flow diagram illustrating a method ofconverting byte code of a first type into an intermediate data structureand converting the intermediate data structure into byte code of asecond type according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is an operational flow diagram illustrating a method ofconverting byte code to intermediate language format code, and parsingthe intermediate language source code to create an intermediate datastructure according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is an operational flow diagram illustrating a method ofconverting source code into an intermediate data structure according toone embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 is an operational flow diagram illustrating a method ofconverting byte code of a first type into byte code of a second type bymapping data elements from byte code of a first type to data elementsfrom byte code of a second type according to one embodiment of theinvention.

FIGS. 8 a and 8 b together illustrate an operational flow diagram of oneembodiment in accordance with the present invention where a data elementmapping step is illustrated in further detail with the mapping of CommonIntermediate Language byte code data elements to data elements of SWFbyte code.

FIGS. 9 a and 9 b together illustrate an operational flow diagram of oneembodiment in accordance with the present invention where a data elementmapping step is illustrated in further detail with the mapping of CommonIntermediate Language Method and Constructor data elements to SWF Actiondata elements.

FIG. 10 is an operational flow diagram illustrating a method ofconverting byte code of a first type and markup language into byte codeof a second type according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 11 is an operational flow diagram illustrating a method ofconverting byte code of a first type into an intermediate data structureand markup language into an object graph, and converting both into bytecode of a second type according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 12 is an operational flow diagram illustrating a method ofconverting markup language into an object graph according to oneembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 13 is an operational flow diagram illustrating a method ofconverting byte code of a first type and markup language code into bytecode of a second type by mapping data elements from byte code of a firsttype and markup language code to data elements from byte code of asecond type according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 14 a and 14 b together illustrate an operational flow diagram of amapping step in accordance with the present invention in which XAMLmarkup language data elements are mapped to data elements of SWF bytecode.

FIG. 15 is a diagram of a computer connected by a computer network toclient computers and servers according to one embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 16 is an operational flow diagram illustrating a method ofconverting inline byte code of a first type and inline markup languageinto byte code of a second type according to one embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 17 is an operational flow diagram illustrating a method ofconverting inline source code and inline markup language into byte codeaccording to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 18 is a diagram of a computer system comprising a softwareapplication utilizing a byte code converter through an applicationplug-in according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 19 is an operational flow diagram illustrating a method ofconverting byte code of a first type and/or markup language of a firsttype into byte code of a second type and markup language of a secondtype according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 20 is an operational flow diagram illustrating a method ofconverting byte code of a first type and/or markup language of a firsttype into source code of a second type and markup language of a secondtype according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 21 is an operational flow diagram illustrating a method ofconverting byte code of a first type into byte code of a second typecontaining local and remote functions by mapping data elements from bytecode of a first type to local and remote data elements from byte code ofa second type according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 22 is a diagram of a computer system containing second byte codethat further contains local functions and remote functions that canconnect to network resources according to one embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 23 is an operational flow diagram illustrating a method of takingbyte code of a first type, converting markup language into byte code ofa third type, and converting the first and third types of byte codesinto byte code of a second type.

FIG. 24 is an operational flow diagram illustrating a method ofconverting byte code of a first type and markup language of a first typeinto byte code of a second type and media files according to oneembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 25 is an operational flow diagram illustrating a method ofdeveloping source code of a first type and/or markup language of a firsttype in an integrated development environment and producing byte code ofa second type according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 26 is an operational flow diagram illustrating a method ofconverting byte code of a first type into byte code components of asecond type and assembling the components into byte code of a secondtype according to one embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is directed toward a system and method forconverting data of a first type into data of a second type. Morespecifically, according to one embodiment of the invention, a byte codeconverter is provided for a computer system, allowing a user or programto convert byte code of a first type and related markup language intobyte code of a second, different type.

For example, according to one embodiment of the invention, byte codefiles and markup language files that contain references to data andobjects in the compiled byte code are received. At least a portion ofthe compiled byte code is converted into one or more intermediate datastructures. At least a portion of the markup language files aresimilarly converted into one or more object graph structures. The bytecode converter can parse and examine these intermediate structurescreated from the original byte code and markup language, and map dataelements from both to new byte code data elements of a different targettype. As a result of the byte code conversion process, a new target bytecode file can be produced. Various alternative methods can be used toconvert byte code and markup language into intermediate data forms, aswell as convert both the original byte code and markup language intotarget byte code of different types.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary computer hardware environment in whichthe present invention can be implemented. In this exemplary environment,a computer system 102 is comprised of one or more processors 104connected to one or more electronic storage devices 116, such as harddisks, floppy disks, tape, CD-ROMs and other magnetic, optical, or othercomputer-accessible storage devices. Typically, one or more softwareapplications 120, 122, or 124 are loaded by a processor 104 from astorage device 116 into memory 118, which is typically RAM, SRAM, orother computer-accessible memory device. The processor 104 can execute asoftware application 120, 122, or 124 by executing instructions storedin the software application 120, 122, or 124. Software applications caninclude executable programs such as a byte code interpreter 122 or abyte code converter software application 124 which performs at least aportion of instructions and processes in accordance with embodiments ofthe present invention. Input/output devices 106, such as graphic cards108, keyboards 112, mice 114, disk controllers, network cards, or othercomputer-operable input/output devices may be included in the computersystem. Input/output devices 106 may be used to relay signals and dataduring execution of a software application 120, 122, or 124 to and fromthe computer system 102 to peripheral devices such as external storagedevices or other computers outside the computer system 102. Input/outputdevices 106 such as network cards may be used to connect to networkssuch as Local Area Networks (LANs), Wide Area Networks (WANs) or theinternet. Typically, an input/output device 106 such as a graphic card108 is used to connect a monitor 110 to the computer system 102, so thatgraphical and textual output from the execution of software applications120, 122, or 124 may be viewed by a computer user.

Conventional software applications 120 can be stored as object code andcomprise machine-specific instructions, which can be executed by aprocessor 104 on a specific computer system 102. For example, an objectcode software application 120 written for a computer system 102 with anIntel Pentium processor 104 and the Microsoft Windows operating systemtypically could not be executed by a different computer system 102 witha PowerPC G5 processor 104 and the Apple Macintosh operating system.

One approach to overcome this machine-specific dependency utilizes bytecode. Byte code can be created by first programming a softwareapplication source code in a higher level language such as JAVA, C#, J#,or Visual Basic .Net. Source code is typically compiled into byte code.Byte code is an intermediate form of code that is created by reducinghigher level source code commands into very basic language instructions.Nonetheless, byte code is more abstract than object code, containsadditional metadata such as namespaces and classes, and most notably isgenerally not comprised of machine-specific instructions. Softwareapplications in byte code form can be executed by a byte codeinterpreter 122.

A byte code interpreter 122 (also called a virtual machine) parses bytecode files and translates the byte code operations into machine-specificinstructions for a given computer system 102. The byte code interpreter122 itself is typically stored and executed as object code, similar to aconventional software application 120. Thus, a separate byte codeinterpreter 122 must be created for each different computer system 102architecture. The advantage to such a system is that softwareapplications in byte code can then be executed without substantialmodification on a byte code interpreter 122 for many different types ofcomputer systems 102. Accordingly, byte code is much more portable thanobject code across computer systems 102. Thus, by way of example,because JAVA byte code interpreter applications 122 exist for both theApple Macintosh and Microsoft Windows operating system environments,JAVA byte code that runs on an APPLE MACINTOSH JAVA byte codeinterpreter 122 should also run unmodified on a MICROSOFT WINDOWS JAVAbyte code interpreter 122.

Although byte code software applications can contain all of theoperations and instructions used to execute a full program in a bytecode interpreter 122, other types of code can be used in conjunctionwith byte code files to provide a more extensible developmentenvironment. Byte code files can be used in conjunction with markuplanguage files, where the markup language interacts with the byte codefiles to define user interface elements in a program. “Markup language”refers generally to types of languages that encode text to representtext, data and interfaces, as well as details of the structure andappearance of the text, data and/or interfaces. Examples of markuplanguages include SGML, HTML, XML, as well as any derived or relatedlanguages. For example, XUL and XAML are both XML-based markuplanguages. Markup languages may also be sub- or super-sets of othermarkup languages. For example, HTML is a subset of XML, which in turn isa subset of SGML.

In the present exemplary environment, the functional aspects and objectdefinitions of a program can be written in a higher level language andcompiled to intermediate byte codes. Markup languages can instantiateobjects and data elements from the intermediate byte code, as well asdefine a user interface for the program. A byte code interpreter 122 cantake both the byte code and markup language files and execute a programusing the functional aspects of the byte code and display aspects of themarkup language code.

The present invention is described in terms of this example environment.Description in these terms is provided for convenience only. It is notintended that the invention be limited to application in this exampleenvironment. Although particular computer systems and components areshown, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that thepresent invention also works with a variety of other computers andcomponents. Moreover, after reading the following description, it willbecome apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the relevant art how toimplement the invention in alternative environments.

Although byte code is portable from a byte code interpreter on onecomputer architecture to a byte code interpreter on another, byte codeof one type is conventionally not compatible with a byte codeinterpreter of another type. For example, a JAVA class file (compiledbyte code) will run on its native runtime environment, the JAVA VirtualMachine (a byte code interpreter). However, a JAVA class file will notrun without modification on the Macromedia Flash® Player (a differentbyte code interpreter) (FLASH is a registered trademark of Macromedia,Inc.).

Some systems allow a number of different source code files in differentprogramming languages to compile to a single byte code file or set ofrelated byte code files that run on a specific byte code interpreter.For example, the Common Language Infrastructure used in .Net allowssoftware development in a set of higher-level source languages, such asVisual Basic .Net, Visual C++.Net, C# and J#. Source code in any ofthese languages can then be compiled into Common Intermediate Languagebyte code that will run on a specific runtime environment, the CommonLanguage Runtime (a byte code interpreter). Other examples of sourcecode languages include the JAVA programming language, which compiles toJAVA byte code and the Flash programming language, which compiles to SWFbyte code. However, even in these systems, once compiled byte code iscreated the byte code is still tied to a specific byte code interpreter.Thus, similar to a JAVA class file, Common Intermediate Language bytecode will not run on the Flash Player.

Currently, programmers may use “disassembler” programs to, in somecases, convert portions of byte code into more easily understood sourcecode. Disassembled source code can be used in porting and reprogrammingthe code to a target byte code of a different type. However, suchmethods that presently exist are cumbersome and require significantadditional programming to create a byte code of a different type. Whatis needed is a means of converting byte code of one type into byte codeof another type, so that byte code programs can not only run on avariety of different computer system architectures, but run on a varietyof different byte code interpreters as well.

FIG. 2 is an operational flow diagram illustrating a method ofconverting byte code of a first type into byte code of a second type,according to one embodiment of the present invention. Referring now toFIG. 2, byte code files of one type 202 are converted in atransformation step 204 into byte code files of a different type 206. Inan exemplary embodiment, Common Intermediate Language byte code 202contained in a .Net Assembly is converted in a transformation step 204into a SWF byte code file 206, wherein at least some of the objects,data, functions and structures of the byte code and metadata in the .NetAssembly are converted into SWF data elements, typically called “tags.”SWF is a tag-based file format displayed using the Flash Player. SWFtags can generate or reference vector graphics, animations, displayinformation and other functionality during execution by the FlashPlayer. The set of SWF data elements can comprise types, tags, recordsand actions which in embodiments in accordance with the presentinvention can represent objects, data and structures from CommonIntermediate Language byte code files 202 within a .Net Assembly. Inalternate exemplary embodiments, compiled Java byte code 202 isconverted into SWF byte code 206 or Common Intermediate Language bytecode 206. Several additional methods of converting byte code of a firsttype into byte code of a second type will be explained in more detailbelow, and will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art fromthis description.

FIG. 3 is an operational flow diagram illustrating a method inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention of developingsource code of a first type 302 with references to development librariesof a second type 304 and producing byte code of a first type 202. Aspreviously explained, source code 302 is typically compiled in acompiling step 308 into byte code 202. Exemplary source code languagesinclude Java, Flash, or any Common Language Infrastructure language. Itshould be further noted that although Microsoft's implementation of theCommon Language Infrastructure is detailed herein, methods and aspectsin accordance with the present invention would similarly apply to anyother implementation of a Common Language Infrastructure according tothe ECMA-335 specification. Development libraries 306 provide datastructures, instructions and subroutines in a source code language of afirst type that are already known to be capable of conversion to bytecode of a second type. A developer programming source code 302 withreferences 306 to data, types and functions in development libraries 306can create a first byte code 202 that should substantially map to asecond byte code 202 for each data structure, type or function referencebuilt on top of the development libraries 304. Although the developmentlibraries 304 are not required for other embodiments of the presentinvention, they are useful tools when the target second byte code typeis known at development time.

Referring again to FIG. 2, in one embodiment of the present invention,the byte code transformation step 204 is performed by referencing tablestructures within the source byte code 202. Many forms of byte code 202,206, such as CIL byte code 202, 206, contain data such as classdefinitions and types that can be stored in table structures, such astables, arrays or indexes. One or more table structures in the firstbyte code 202 can be mapped to one or more table or array structures inthe second byte code 206. The mapping of data elements from a first bytecode 202 to data elements from a second byte code 206 is described inmore detail below and illustrated in FIGS. 7-9. In one configuration,the second byte code 206 table structure can be substantially similar tothat in the first byte code 202. In an alternate configuration, thesecond byte code 206 table structure can be different than that in thefirst byte code 202. For example, CIL source byte code files 202 cancontain multiple tables for data elements such as methods, types andclasses. In a transformation step 204, the data in the multiple tablesfrom the CIL source byte code 202 can be stored in rows or “slots”within a single global type array in a target SWF byte code file 206.Even different types of rows from multiple tables in CIL source bytecode 202 can be stored in a single heterogeneous table in SWF targetbyte code 206. Thus, instead of reflecting the multiple table structureof the source CIL byte code 202, the resulting SWF byte code 206 honesdown all class and type references to a single array, or lesser numberof arrays. In another example, JAVA source byte code 202 can containmultiple table structures for classes in different JAVA class files.Similarly, these table structures can be pared down to less tables uponconversion to a byte code of a second type 206. By using fewer tablestructures than the source byte code 202, the target byte code 206 canbe smaller in size and data and objects are more quickly located withina single or limited number of tables, instead of constantlycross-referencing a great number of tables. Moreover, in oneconfiguration, data and objects unused by the target byte code 206 canbe omitted from the destination byte code 206 table structure.

Additionally, instantiated objects in many byte code languages, such asthose compiled from ECMA scripting languages like ActionScript,JavaScript, or JScript can also be referenced as arrays/tables. Thus,one or more global table structures according to the invention canreference instantiated object methods in array notation, such as“object[23]( )” instead of a name-based lookup, such as“object.MethodCall( )”. Additionally, in one exemplary embodimentaccording to the invention, metadata for an object in source byte code202 such as the visibility of types and members (private, public, etc.)and custom defined attributes can be stored in an array for thecorresponding object in the target byte code 206. The metadata cansimilarly be referenced by index to the metadata array, and externalreferences to elements of the metadata array can be stored in a globaltable structure.

In a further configuration, numerical indexes in the destination tablestructure can be referenced for types and classes in the target bytecode 206. Conventionally, data and objects such as classes, members,types, local variables and arguments are stored as string literals inbyte code 202, 206 and then looked up at execution time. Conventionalsystems create additional byte code for each different class, increasingthe amount of memory used for storage and the amount of data that mustbe parsed for lookups. Moreover, if a class namespace comprises multiplesub-classes, such as “My.Long.Namespace”, then a lookup for the typeinformation of the class must execute individual computer instructionsfor “My”, “Long”, “Namespace” and “Type”. By contrast, if the typeinformation “My.Long.Namespace.Type” was stored in an array index, suchas “223”, then only one instruction to array address “223” would berequired for the same type lookup. The present embodiment according tothe present invention can replace these inefficient string lookups witha fast index or offset lookup for the data or object. Another advantageof the present embodiment is that method and constructor overloadinginstructions in the source byte code 202 can be converted into a moreefficient implementation in the target byte code 206. Conventionally,overloaded methods and constructors programmed in object-orientedlanguages require inefficient namespace lookups up the chain of parentobjects to find the computer instructions and data to execute the methodor constructor. In the present embodiment according to the invention,overloaded methods and constructors simply occupy a different arrayindex than the parent method or constructor, allowing a single lookupinstruction to find the method or constructor.

Additionally, because data elements such as class members and variablescan be stored in, for example, a single table, operations or methodsperformed on multiple data elements can often be performed in a singletable operation, as opposed to individual byte code instructions. Forexample, if CIL source byte code 202 contained instructions to settwenty variables to zero upon execution, the conversion process couldcreate SWF target byte code 206 containing a table structure furthercontaining all twenty variables. Instead of executing multiple byte codeinstructions to set each variable to zero, the SWF target byte code 206could contain one byte code instruction to set the twenty rows in thetable structure representing the variables all to zero in a single tableloop operation.

In another embodiment of the present invention, identifying strings suchas class names can be removed because an index is used for all dataelements and objects. Class names in byte code can be used to discoverportions of the structure and functionality of the instructions in bytecode files 202, 206. Removing such strings allows the target byte code206 to be obfuscated, making it more difficult for end users todecompile, disassemble or reverse engineer.

An alternate embodiment according to the invention to the table/arrayconversion method is illustrated in FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is an operationalflow diagram illustrating one method in accordance with the presentinvention of converting byte code of a first type 202 into anintermediate data structure 406, which is then converted into byte codeof a second type 206. In one embodiment, byte code files of a first type202 are received by a byte code parser 402 and converted in a convertingstep 404 into an intermediate data structure 406. Alternately, inanother embodiment according to the present invention, source code filesof a first type can be compiled directly into an intermediate datastructure. The intermediate data structure 406 in these embodimentspreserves and represents at least a portion of the semantics, syntax andmetadata contained in a compiled byte code 202 in an organizedstructure. An intermediate data structure 406 can be implemented as agraph data structure, such as an abstract syntax tree or abstractsemantic graph. Examples of intermediate data structures 406 formed asgraph data structures include implementations of the Document ObjectModel (DOM) from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) in languages suchas XML or HTML. In a converting step 408, the intermediate datastructure 406 is converted into byte code of a second type 206. In theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, the converting step 408 is carried outby a byte code parser 402 that reads the byte code files 202 directlyand parses out the data elements into an intermediate data structure406. Further details and alternative embodiments of the conversion fromintermediate data structure 406 to byte code 206 are provided below.

One method of creating an intermediate data structure 406 is illustratedin FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is an operational flow diagram illustrating a methodin accordance with one embodiment of the invention of disassembling bytecode files 202 into an intermediate language format 506, which is parsedto produce an intermediate data structure 406. Byte code files 202 aretypically in binary format, and thus are not easily read by humanprogrammers or software applications, aside from byte code interpreters.However, byte code files 202 can be changed into an intermediatelanguage format 506, which generally comprises a much morecomprehensible and structured format than pure byte code. The phrase“intermediate language format” generally refers to the lowest-levelhuman-readable language that can be derived from a byte code file 202(typically intermediate language source code) and includes code in ASCIItext format. Compiled byte code 202 can often be changed to and fromintermediate language source code 506. For example, the Common LanguageInfrastructure allows source code in higher-level languages to becompiled into Common Intermediate Language, which containsrepresentations of the Common Language Infrastructure processinginstructions as defined by ECMA-335 specification. Common IntermediateLanguage byte code can take digital forms including a sourcerepresentation known as CIL Assembly Language and a binaryrepresentation as byte codes. CIL Assembly Language is one example of anintermediate language format 506 according to aspects of the presentinvention and it textually represents the data and functionality in .NetAssembly and Common Intermediate Language byte code. As implied by the“Common” in Common Intermediate Language, analogous programs written indifferent higher-level languages should compile to fairly similar CommonIntermediate Language byte code. Common Intermediate Language is anobject-oriented language and has a stack-based structure. CommonIntermediate Language byte code is typically packaged in a .Net Assemblyfile. Both Common Intermediate Language binary byte code and .NetAssemblies can be assembled from, as well as disassembled into,constituent CIL Assembly Language source code.

Byte code files 202 can be converted into intermediate language files506 in a disassembly step 504. In one embodiment according to theinvention, byte code files 202 can be disassembled by a byte codedisassembler 502 into intermediate language formats 506. Intermediatelanguage source files 506 are examined in a parsing step 510 forstructure and content that is used to create an intermediate datastructure 406 that preserves the syntax and attributes of the underlyingcompiled byte code 202 and intermediate language source code 506. In apreferred embodiment, the parsing step 510 can be carried out by anintermediate language parser 508, which is a software application thatcan read intermediate language source code 506 and produce anintermediate data structure 406. The resulting intermediate datastructure 406 is then converted to byte code 206 as explained previouslyand detailed further below.

An alternative method of creating an intermediate data structure 406 isshown in FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is an operational flow diagram illustrating amethod in accordance with the present invention of convertinghigher-level source code files 302 into an intermediate data structure406. The phrase “source code” refers to computer programs orinstructions written in a human-readable language format that, in somecases, loosely resembles human spoken language. Source code files 302are typically composed of ASCII text and are often compiled intomachine-specific or intermediate code formats to actually execute asprograms. Higher-level source code 302 is typically compiled into bytecode of a corresponding (or “native”) type. For example, JAVA sourcecode is natively compiled by the JAVA Compiler into JAVA byte code. Somedevelopment frameworks also allow multiple source languages to benatively compiled to a single type of byte code. For example, asdescribed previously, any source code language within the CommonLanguage Infrastructure can be compiled into Common IntermediateLanguage byte code. In contrast to these approaches, as shown in FIG. 6,a source code compiler 602 can compile source code files 302 directlyinto an intermediate data structure 406 in a compiling step 604 withoutconverting the source code 302 into byte code of a corresponding type.For example, source code written in C# programming language could becompiled directly into an abstract syntax tree without ever directlyconverting the code to Common Intermediate Language byte code orpackaged code in a .Net Assembly.

One method of converting byte code of a first type 202 into byte code ofa second type 206 is explored in further detail in FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is anoperational flow diagram illustrating a method in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention of mapping data elements 706 a-cfrom a first byte code 202 to data elements 710 a-c of a second bytecode 206. Byte code files 202 are converted into data elements 706 a-cin a converting step 702. As used herein, the phrase “data element”refers to any logical unit or grouping that comprises a part or portionof a software application. For instance, data elements 706 a-c, 710 a-ccan include any objects, instructions, metadata, variables, typedefinitions, classes, functions, or groupings thereof, within a computerprogram. Sources such as byte code 202, 206 and markup language code maybe comprised of one or more data elements. As an example, the dataelements 706 a-c of Common Intermediate Language byte code 202 includenamespaces, types, members, fields, constants, events, properties,indexers, methods, constructors and Common Intermediate Languageopcodes. Moreover, each instance and type of Common IntermediateLanguage opcode could comprise individual data elements 706 a-c for thepurpose of mapping. In a mapping step 704, byte code of a first type 202is parsed into its constituent data elements 706 a-c. At least a portionof data elements of a first type 706 a-c can be mapped to data elementsof a second type 710 a-c. For example, a data element comprising aninstruction to create an object in Common Intermediate Language bytecode in a .Net Assembly could be mapped to an instruction to create asubstantially equivalent object in SWF byte code. Using the results ofthe mapping step 704, data elements of a second type 710 a-c can beassembled into the resulting byte code of a second type 206 in aconverting step 712.

Exploring the data element mapping step 704 in further detail, mappingstep 704 is carried out in one embodiment in accordance with the presentinvention by referencing byte code mapping libraries 708. The byte codemapping libraries 708 can contain computer instructions or subprogramsthat take as input a data element of a first byte code type 706 a-c,determine if any mapping exists from the data element of a first type706 a-c to one or more data elements of a second type 710 a-c, andreturn information indicating appropriate data elements of a second type710 a-c or a status message indicating that no mapping was found. In oneembodiment of the invention, a byte code mapping library 708 for mappingCommon Intermediate Language data elements to SWF data elements could,for example, map the Common Intermediate Language opcodes to the SWFactions and return information indicating the designated SWF action.

The byte code mapping libraries 708 can be implemented, for example, asstatically linked, dynamically linked, or remote libraries. The bytecode mapping libraries 708 may comprise one or more reference datastructures to facilitate the process of matching data elements of afirst type 706 a-c to data elements of a second type 710 a-c, includingfor example, structures such as lookup tables, hash tables, associativearrays or arrays. In one preferred embodiment in accordance with thepresent invention, the byte code mapping libraries 708 contain a lookuptable. The lookup table in this embodiment can index input values ofdata elements of a first type 706 a-c to stored return values of dataelements of a second type 710 a-c. By using a data structure such as alookup table, one of ordinary skill in the art could increase the speedand efficiency with which the data element mapping step 704 is carriedout.

When converting between byte code 202, 206 based in similar languages,such as C# and Java, the data elements 706 a-c, 710 a-c between thesource byte code 202 and target byte code 206 should substantially mapin nearly a 1:1 ratio. Thus, the data element mapping process can berelatively straightforward to perform for languages that containanalogous objects, classes, members, types and other data elements. Amore difficult situation is presented when the source and targetlanguages differ substantially in available data elements 706 a-c, 710a-c. For example, as described below in more detail and illustrated inFIGS. 8 a and 8 b and FIGS. 9 a and 9 b, heterogeneous byte code sourcelanguages, like .Net and SWF, often lack single, analogous data elements706 a-c, 710 a-c between the two languages. Thus, in the case ofheterogeneous byte code conversion, the data element mapping step 704can map a first data element 706 a-c to a second data element 710 a-cthat has been created to mimic an analogous data element in thedestination byte code language or format. For example, if a first dataelement 706 a-c has no direct matching data element 710 a-c in thedestination language, then one or more second data elements 710 a-c(such as methods, types, etc.) can be assembled to mimic the behavior orappearance of the first data element 706 a-c. For example, a source CILmethod call data element 706 a-c could be mapped to one or moredestination SWF stack instruction data elements 710 a-c. In this case,the data elements aren't exactly analogous, but both exhibit the samefunctionality. Alternately, first data elements 706 a-c may be mapped toremote second data elements 710 a-c, eliminating the need for analogousspecific second data elements 710 a-c to map to, as described in furtherdetail below and illustrated in FIGS. 21 and 22. Additionally, somefirst data elements 706 a-c may not be necessary in the target byte code206, and can safely be ignored in the mapping step 704. For example, asource CIL byte code 202 may contain a data element 706 a-c that is abyte code instruction for a string conversion method. When converting toa target SWF byte code 206, the data element mapping step 704 can beconfigured to ignore the string conversion data element 706 a-c becausethe SWF language and byte code interpreter automatically converts anydata used as a string to a string format.

With further reference to FIG. 7, additional embodiments in accordancewith the present invention can aid the conversion step 712 by insertingbridging byte code of a second type 714. As previously described, notall byte code languages will have data elements that entirely match upto data elements of other languages. Moreover, during the mapping step704, it might not always be possible to map a first data element 706 a-cto a contrived second data element 710 a-c, internally comprised of twoor more second data elements 710 a-c. In such a case, thecomputer-implemented process carrying out the data element mapping 704and/or the second byte code conversion 712 could abort the byte codeconversion operation. Alternately, the process may just ignore the dataelements of a first type 706 a-c that could not be mapped and assemble asecond byte code 206 from the collection of second data elements 710 a-cthat were successfully mapped. However, the resulting second byte code206 from the latter exemplary scenario could potentially lack portionsof data and/or functionality from the first byte code 202 due to theignored data elements 706 a-c.

One solution to such a scenario is found in embodiments of the presentinvention that insert bridging byte code of a second type 714 into thesecond byte code 206 in an inserting step 716. In one embodimentaccording to the present invention, in the case that not all first dataelements 706 a-c are mapped to second data elements 710 a-c during themapping step 704, bridging byte code 714 is generated automatically by acomputer-implemented process in response. The process that automaticallyinserts bridging byte code 714 could be part of the same softwareapplication or applications performing the byte code conversion process,or the process could be embodied in an external software application.For example, in the case that not all first data elements 706 a-c aremapped, an external software application could be called to examineunmapped first data elements 706 a-c or the resulting second byte code206. A bridging second byte code 714 could be created in response toenhance the functionality of the second byte code 206 and/or compensatefor lost data or functionality in the second byte code 206. Thegenerated bridging byte code of a second type 714 is inserted into saidsecond byte code 206 in an inserting step 716.

In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, custom bridgingbyte code 714 could be inserted by an external computer program or by aprogrammer. In this embodiment, for example, a computer programmerfamiliar with the first byte code 202 could examine the second byte code206 and discover any data or functionality lost in one or more of theconversion steps 702, 704, 712. The programmer could then program andcompile custom bridging byte code of a second type 714 and insert thiscode into the target byte code 206. Thus, the optional step of insertingbridging byte code 716 can enable embodiments of the present inventionto overcome inherent structural differences between different byte codelanguages and may permit developers more control than they wouldotherwise have over the conversion process.

In addition, a base set of bridging byte code 714 can be inserted toprovide additional functionality to the target byte code 206. Even inthe scenario where all data elements 706 a-c, 710 a-c have beensuccessfully mapped, ignored or substituted, additional functionalitynot present in the first byte code 202 may be desired for the secondbyte code 206. For example, if it was desirable to have an addedinformation dialog window available in all target byte code 206 for agiven software application, bridging byte code 714 containing byte codeinstructions for a dialog window could be inserted, even if the originalsource byte code 202 contained no such dialog window.

With reference to FIGS. 4 and 7, an intermediate data structure 406 maybe used in embodiments in accordance with the present invention tofacilitate the step 704 of mapping data elements of a first type 706 a-cto data elements of a second type 710 a-c. As previously described, atleast a portion of byte code of a first type 202 is parsed in a parsingstep 402 into an intermediate data structure 406. Portions of the graphdata structure comprising the intermediate data structure 406 may befurther processed into data elements of a first type 706 a-c. Becauseexemplary intermediate data structures 406 typically have a graph orhierarchical object structure, each object within the intermediate datastructure 406 is a logical unit of data and the relationships betweenobjects facilitates grouping families of objects. Accordingly, theselogical units and/or groupings of objects in an intermediate datastructure 406 facilitate converting step 702 by presenting theunderlying data of a first byte code 202 in a discernible anddifferentiable structure that may more easily be parsed. The resultingdata elements 706 a-c can be mapped to data elements of a second type710 a-c and assembled into byte code of a second type 206, as previouslydescribed. For example, Common Intermediate Language byte code files 202could be parsed along with other files in a .Net Assembly into an XMLDOM intermediate data structure 406, wherein XML tags represent at leastsome of the semantics, syntax and structure of the .Net Assembly. EachXML tag or hierarchical group of tags in the XML DOM intermediate datastructure 406 could be processed, from which some or all could be mappedto SWF action or tag byte code instructions and assembled into a SWFbyte code file 206.

Yet another embodiment according to the present invention that addressescomplexities during a mapping step is presented in FIG. 21. FIG. 21 isan operational flow diagram illustrating a method in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention of mapping data elements 706 a-b todata elements 2102 and 2104 of a second byte code 206. Byte code filesof a first type 202 are converted to data elements of a first type in aconverting step 702. Similar to the method illustrated in FIG. 7, dataelements of a first type 706 a and 706 b are mapped to data elements2102 and 2104 of a second type in a mapping step 2110. However, amapping step 2110 can map at least a portion of data elements of a firsttype 706 a to local second data elements 2102. Local data elements 2102include data elements, functionality, objects or information that arenatively included in a destination byte code language. For example, if afirst byte code 202 comprising Common Intermediate Language byte codeincluded a data element 706 a comprising the stack “push” operation, thedata element 706 a could be mapped to a local data element 2102 in SWFwhich similarly comprises a “push” operation. The “push” operation isnatively included in the SWF byte code language. A mapping step 2110 canalso map at least a portion of first data elements 706 b to remote dataelements of a second type 2104. Remote data elements 2104 include dataelements, functionality, objects or information that are not nativelyincluded in a destination byte code language, but may be available fromnetwork resource. For example, if a first byte code 202 comprisingCommon Intermediate language byte code included a data element 706 bcomprising a regular expression operation, the data element 706 b couldbe mapped to a remote second data element 2104 in SWF in the case thatthe SWF language did not natively implement regular expressions. Theremote second data element 2104 could contain SWF instructions forconnecting to one or more network resources to access regular expressionfunctionality. Like the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7, a byte codemapping library 708 can be used to map first data elements 706 a-b tolocal and remote data elements 2102 and 2104, respectively. The bytecode mapping library 708 of FIG. 7 can further contain instructionsindicating whether a given data element 706 a-b should be converted to alocal or remote data element. Turning back to FIG. 21, external data orinformation can optionally or additionally be used to determine whethera local or remote data element of a second type is appropriate duringthe mapping step 2110. Optionally, external data can include data orinformation stored in an entirely separate file. Or, external datacould, for example, include data or information that is part of the samegreater file containing both the external data and first byte code 202.For example, metadata contained in a .Net Assembly comprising CommonIntermediate Language byte code could be used, in part or in whole, todetermine whether a given Common Intermediate Language data element 706a-b should be mapped to one or more local or remote SWF data elements2102 and 2104. In step 712, local and remote data elements of a secondtype 2102 and 2104 are assembled into byte code of a second type 206.The second byte code 206 contains both local functions 2106 and remotefunctions 2108. Local functions 2106 can include functions, methods, oroperations that are native to the second byte code language. Remotefunctions 2108 can include functions, methods, or operations that arenot native to the second byte code language. Remote functions 2108 canact as stubs or proxies to connect to one or more network resources thatcan execute the desired function and then return the result to thecalling second byte code 206 at runtime.

One method of invoking a remote function in transformed second byte codeis illustrated in FIG. 22. FIG. 22 is diagram of a computer 2202comprising a computer system 102 containing a second byte code 206according to one embodiment of the present invention. The second bytecode 206 can contain both local functions 2106 and/or remote functions2108 created as described above for FIG. 21. Returning to FIG. 22, whenlocal functions 2106 are called from the second byte code 206, thefunctions can be executed natively in a second byte code language on thecomputer system 102. When remote functions 2108 are called from thesecond byte code 206, the functions can connect to one or more computers2206 a-b and 2210 across a network 2204 to execute a function on thatcomputer. Examples of a network 2204 can include LANs, WANs or theinternet, and topology of the network 2204 can include client-server,peer-to-peer or other network configurations as would be apparent to oneof skill in the art. Remote functions can connect to one or more servercomputers 2206 a-b, as well as other types of computers, includingworkstations 2210, laptops and other peer computers. Once a remotefunction has connected to a computer 2206 a-b, 2210, the computer 2206a-b, 2210 can perform a requested function or operation, retrieve dataor invoke other computer processes. The computer 2206 a-b, 2210 can thenoptionally return a response to the remote function 2108. Continuing aprevious exemplary scenario, if a converted SWF byte code application206 contains a remote function 2108 for a regular expression operation,the remote function 2108 can connect to a server 2206 a that implementsthe desired regular expression operation in Common Intermediate Language(the original source byte code language), or any additional compiled orbyte code language which implements the desired functionality. Theserver 2206 a can then optionally return a response, such as text thatmatched the sought regular expression, to the calling SWF remotefunction 2108. One advantage of utilizing both local and remote dataelements and constituent functions, as illustrated in FIGS. 21 and 22,is that missing functionality or data from the transformation processcan be substituted with analogous remote functionality, which can allowthe target second byte code to behave in a similar fashion to a fullynative application comprising a second byte code.

It should be noted that the embodiment according to the presentinvention illustrated in FIG. 22 is not limited in application to thosescenarios where a first byte code cannot completely map to a second bytecode. Additional scenarios where it may be desirable to map dataelements of a first type to remote data types of a second type 2108include situations where sensitive data or information should not bepresent in a local byte code file 206. For example, if a first byte codecontains a database connection function, the username and password maybe stored in the first byte code and retrievable by skilled computerprogrammers. One embodiment according to the present invention couldtake data elements of a first type containing such sensitive databaseinformation and map the data elements to remote data elements of asecond byte code type. For example, in the case that a second byte code206 executes a database call, a remote data function 2108 can connect toa remote server 2206 b. The remote server 2206 b can securely store thedatabase username and password, and use it to retrieve data from thedatabase 2208 directly. The remote server 2206 b can return the databaseresults to the remote function 2108 without the second byte code 206ever storing the database username and password. Thus, another usefulaspect of the present invention is the ability to keep sensitiveinformation away from target byte code applications 206 that canpotentially be compromised.

FIGS. 8 a and 8 b, together, further illustrate the data element mappingstep 802 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Inthe mapping step 802, an exemplary Common Intermediate Language dataelement 804 is mapped to a SWF data element 858. The mapping step 802can optionally reference mapping instructions contained in a byte codemapping library 806 as described previously. Or, alternately, themapping step 802 can be carried out with instructions and functionalityin the native software application carrying out the mapping step 802.

Common Intermediate Language data elements 804 can be broken down intoseveral sub-types including, for example, namespaces 808, types 810,attributes 812, and members 814. Namespaces 808 serve as a means ofpartitioning types within a .Net Assembly by preserving unique names andmay be preserved or shortened to SWF namespace data elements 858 in amapping step 838. Common Intermediate Language types 810 include classes816, enumerations 818, interfaces 820 and delegates 822. CommonIntermediate Language classes 816 comprise a namespace 808, a name andzero or more members 814. Classes 816 can map to SWF object and/orfunction data elements 858 in a mapping step 840. Enumerations 818associate names with integer values and may be mapped to SWF integer orobject data elements 858 in a mapping step 842. Interfaces 820 defineproperties and methods to be implemented by classes 816. Interfaces 820can match overloaded names on classes 816 that implement giveninterfaces 820 in a matching step 843. Delegates 822 define signaturesfor callback functions. In mapping step 844, delegates 822 map to SWFcode that simulates Common Intermediate Language delegates 822 usingvarious combinations of SWF actions, tags, and/or records.

Members 814 comprise fields 824, constants 826, events 828, properties830, indexers 832, methods 834 and constructors 836. Fields 824 havenames, hold values and can be mapped to SWF object property dataelements 858 in a mapping step 848. Constants 826 represent immutablevalues such as the number Pi or a string constant. Constants 826 may beinserted as inline data elements 858 into SWF byte code or mapped to SWFobject property data elements 858 during a mapping step 850. Events 828are capable of firing one or more delegates 822 when a state changeoccurs within a class and may be mapped to SWF event methods during amapping step 852. Programmer-defined events can be mapped to one or moreadditional SWF Methods to simulate added event behavior. Properties 830are a special type of Common Intermediate Language methods 834 thatallow a developer to read and set states associated with a CommonIntermediate Language object. Indexers 832 are a special type ofproperty 830 in which parameters may be passed. Properties 830 andindexers 832 may be mapped to SWF object methods and SWF action dataelements 858 during a mapping step 854.

Methods 834 have a name and zero or more parameters and containinstructions in the form of CIL opcodes. Constructors 836 are a specialtype of method 834 that are called when a new object is instantiated.Methods 834 and constructors 836 are mapped to SWF action data elements858 in a mapping step 856.

Mapping step 856 is explored in further detail in FIGS. 9 a and 9 b.FIGS. 9 a and 9 b, together, illustrate an operational flow diagram inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention illustrating themapping of Common Intermediate Language methods 834 and constructors 836to SWF action data elements 950. As explained previously, CommonIntermediate Language methods 834 and constructors 836 include one ormore Common Intermediate Language opcodes 902. Common IntermediateLanguage opcodes 902 are separated into different types and mapped toSWF actions in a mapping step 904. Note also that in alternativeembodiments according to the present invention, Common IntermediateLanguage opcodes 902 may additionally or alternatively map to one ormore SWF tags or records.

Categories of Common Intermediate Language opcodes includeinstantiations 906, stack operators 908, field access operators 910,method calls 912, argument access operators 914, comparison operators916, flow control 918, bit operators 920, mathematical operators 922,casting and conversion operators 924, and exception handlers 926.Instantiation opcodes 906 create new instances of a class and map to SWFaction data elements 950 New Method, NewObject, InitObject and InitArrayin a mapping step 928. Stack operator opcodes 908 manipulate the stackmachine in the Common Language Infrastructure Virtual Execution Systemand map to SWF action data elements 950 Push, Pop, StackSwap andPushDuplicate in a mapping step 930. Field Access Operators 910 controlfield values and map to SWF action data elements 950 Get Variable,SetVariable, GetMember and SetMember in a mapping step 932. Method calls912 map to SWF action data elements 950 CallFunction, CallMethod andCall in a mapping step 934. Argument access operators 914 provide accessto the passed arguments in a method 834 and map to SWF action dataelements 950 Arguments, Array, GetVariable and Push in a mapping step936. Comparison operators 916 map to SWF action data elements 950Equals, Less, Less2, StrictEquals, Greater and StringGreater in amapping step 938. Flow control opcodes 918 control the flow of executionof byte code and map to SWF action data elements 950 If, Jump and Callin a mapping step 940. Bit operators 920 can manipulate individual bitsand map to SWF action data elements 950 BitAnd, BitLShift, BitOr,BitRShift, BitURShift and BitXOR in a mapping step 942. Mathematicaloperators 922 perform operations on numbers and map to SWF data elements950 Add2, Less2, Modulo, Decrement, Increment, Add, Divide, Multiply andSubtract in a mapping step 944. Casting and conversion operators 924 arenot mapped in an ignoring step 946 because the SWF Engine is type free.Exception handling opcodes 926 map to SWF action data elements 950 Tryand Throw in a mapping step 948.

FIG. 10 is an operational flow diagram illustrating a method ofconverting byte code of a first type and markup language files into bytecode of a second type, according to one embodiment of the presentinvention. Referring to FIG. 10, a first set of byte code files 202 andmarkup language files 1002 can be converted in a transformation step1004 into byte codes of a different type 206. Markup language files 1002can refer to objects, data elements and other information in the firstbyte code files 202. Markup language files 1002 may also associate andrefer to other external resources including text files, digital mediafiles, other markup language files and additional types of byte codefiles. Markup language files 1002 may further include tags or referencesfor graphically creating a user interface by defining such elements aslayout, positioning and vector graphics manipulation. In an embodimentin accordance with the present invention, markup language files 1002 candefine the graphical layout of a software application and instantiateobjects and data elements from the first set of byte code files 202 toprovide the software application with functionality. For example, a XAMLmarkup language file 1002 could define a graphical user interface andassociate objects in a Common Intermediate Language byte code file 202as well as other elements in a .Net Assembly with the user interface.Alternative markup languages capable of mapping to a second byte code206 include, for example, XML or XUL. XAML is an XML-based languagedefined by Microsoft Corporation to describe, for instance, userinterfaces, vector graphics, animation and data binding. Common LanguageInfrastructure object data structures following guidelines forserialization can be represented using XAML markup. Both the XAML markuplanguage files 1002 and a .Net Assembly containing Common IntermediateLanguage byte code 202 can be transformed in a transforming step 1004into a SWF byte code file 206, wherein at least a portion of theobjects, data and structure of the .Net Assembly, as well as XAMLinstantiation and layout tags, are converted to SWF data elements.

In one embodiment of the invention, one or more markup language filesare represented in ASCII text files. The text markup language files areconverted into a binary markup language format. A binary markup languageformat often has a smaller file size because it does not require theoverhead of textual semantics to designate structure, and can beutilized more efficiently than text markup language because text markuplanguage files can require more extensive parsing to use. For example,as an intermediate step in a byte code conversion process, a XAML textmarkup language file can be converted into a BAML binary markup languagerepresentation of the XAML file. The BAML file and a first byte code canthen be converted into a second byte code as described for FIG. 10 andfurther described below.

In another embodiment according to the present invention, first bytecode files 202 and markup language files 1002 can be converted in thesame or related processing step 1004 by a byte code converterapplication to produce a second byte code 206. In an alternateembodiment, conversion of byte code files 202 and markup language files1002 may take place at different times and/or as part of differentcomputer processes. For example, a computer user could request a firstbyte code file 202 through a proxy application. The request couldinitiate the byte code conversion process and create a second byte code206. The second byte code 206 could then begin execution on a byte codeinterpreter as described previously. The second byte code 206 couldcontain instructions or references to markup language files 1002. Theproxy application could dynamically load the markup language files 1002and initiate further conversion of the markup language code 1002 intoadditional second byte code 206 that could be loaded into the alreadyrunning second byte code 206 for further execution. An exemplaryscenario can include a user request for Common Intermediate Languagebyte code 202 from an application that can only execute SWF byte code206. Upon request, a proxy application can receive Common IntermediateLanguage byte code 202 and convert it in a transformation step 1004 intoSWF byte code 206. Execution of the SWF byte code 206 could thenreference or call a XAML markup language file 1002. The proxyapplication can then receive the XAML markup language code 1002 andconvert the markup into additional SWF byte code 206 that is dynamicallyloaded into the already executing SWF byte code 206. Thus, alternateembodiments of the present invention allow for dynamic byte codeconversion of all or portions of a first byte code 202 and markuplanguage code 1002.

FIG. 23 is an operational flow diagram illustrating an alternativemethod of converting byte code of a first type and markup language intobyte code of a second type. Referring to FIG. 23, markup language files1002 are transformed into source code files 2304 in a transformationstep 2302. At least a portion of the objects, data elements, displayitems and other information within a markup language file 1002 areconverted into an analogous representation in source code 2304. Forexample, at least a portion of a XAML markup language file 1002 can beconverted into one or more source code language files 2304 in the C#,J#, JScript, Visual C++ .Net or Visual Basic .Net languages. In analternate example, at least a portion of a XUL markup language file 1002can be converted into one or more source code language files 2304 inJAVA or JavaScript. Moreover, references to the first byte code files202 and external resource references contained in the markup languagefiles, such as those described below for FIG. 11, can be similarlyconverted to analogous references in source code 2304. For example, if aXAML markup language file 1002 contained display and layout instructionsfor a button object defined in a source CIL byte code file 202, theinstructions can be transformed into display and layout C# programminglanguage instructions for the button in a C# source code file 2304. Instep 2306, source code files 2304 are compiled to form additional bytecode files 2308. Source code files 2304 can be compiled into byte codefiles 2308 as described previously. For example, C# source code 2304could be compiled by a byte code compiler into CIL byte code 2308. Theresulting converted byte code 2308 can be of the same type or of adifferent type from the source first byte code 202. In step 2310, boththe source byte code files 202 and converted byte code files 2308 aretransformed into byte code files of a second type 206. The source bytecode files 202 and converted byte code files 2308 can be transformedinto a byte code of a different type using the process and methodsdescribed previously for transforming a single type of byte code into atarget byte code of a different type. In the case that the source codefiles 2304 contain references to the source byte code 202 or externalresources, those references are compiled with the rest of the sourcecode 2304 and preserved in the resulting byte code 2308. The source bytecode files 202 and converted byte code files 2308 may be of similarand/or different types from each other and the resulting byte code 206.For example, source CIL byte code 202 and converted JAVA byte code 2308could be transformed into target SWF byte code 206. Alternately, sourceCIL byte code 202 and converted SWF byte code 2308 could be transformedinto target SWF byte code 206.

FIG. 11 is an operational flow diagram illustrating one method inaccordance with the present invention of converting byte code of a firsttype 202 into an intermediate data structure 406 and markup languagefiles 1002 into an object graph 1106, and converting both into byte codeof a second type 206. Byte code files of a first type 202 can bereceived by a byte code parser 402 and converted in a converting step404 into one or more intermediate data structures 406, as previouslydescribed.

Alternately, or in addition, markup language files 1002 can be receivedand converted to an object graph 1106 in a converting step 1104. Anobject graph 1106 is typically a directed graph or tree data structureconsisting of objects linked to other related or associated objects.Object graphs 1106 may be encapsulated in markup language files, customtext-based languages, or in other binary formats. In context of anembodiment in accordance with the present invention, an object graph1106 can represent some or all markup language tags and constructs asobjects within the graph structure. Further, an object graph 1106 canreference 1102 a first byte code 202 and serve as a serialization formatthat preserves typing for data elements of a first byte code 202, typevalues, and the relationship of types to other types. As an example, aXAML markup language file 1002 containing references to data elements ina .Net Assembly comprising Common Intermediate Language byte code 202could be parsed to generate a Common Language Infrastructure object tree1106 where at least a portion of the object tree objects correspond toCommon Language Infrastructure classes in the Common IntermediateLanguage byte code 202, and at least a portion of the object tree objectproperties correspond to class properties. The Common LanguageInfrastructure object tree 1106 and Common Intermediate Language bytecode 202 or .Net XML DOM intermediate data structure 406 could then beconverted in a converting step 1108 into byte code of a different type206 like, for example, SWF byte code 206. In yet another embodimentaccording to the present invention, first byte code 202 and an objectgraph of a first type 1106 can be converted into a second byte code 206as well as an object graph of a second type. Similar to the object graph1106 illustrated in FIG. 11, an object graph of a second type canreference data elements, objects and other information in a second bytecode 206, as well as define an object hierarchy and objectrelationships.

One method of generating an object graph 1106 is illustrated in furtherdetail in FIG. 12. FIG. 12 is an operational flow diagram illustrating amethod in accordance with one embodiment of the invention of parsingmarkup language files 1002 into an intermediate graph structure 1206,which is then traversed to produce an object graph 1106. In a parsingstep 1204, a markup language parser 1202 receives markup language files1002, parses the markup language tag structure and creates anintermediate graph structure 1206. The intermediate graph structure 1206reflects the original structure of the markup language document and istypically a tree structure. The intermediate graph structure 1206provides the underlying framework for creating an object graph 1106. Ina generating step 1210, an object graph generator 1208 traverses theintermediate graph structure 1206 and creates an object graph 1106.During the generating step 1210, any markup language code 1002references to data elements in byte code of a first type may beassociated with objects and properties in the resulting object graph1106. For example, an XML markup language source file 1002 could beparsed into an intermediate tree format 1206 representing thehierarchical structure of tags in the XML document. The intermediatetree format 1206 could then be traversed to generate objects andproperties for an object graph 1106 and to associate each XML tag in thehierarchy byte code data elements where the XML markup language sourcefile 1002 contained external byte code references.

A method of converting byte code of a first type 202 and markup languagecode 1002 into byte code of a second type 206 is examined in greaterdetail in FIG. 13. FIG. 13 is an operational flow diagram illustrating amethod in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention ofmapping data elements 706 from a first byte code 202 and data elements1306 from markup language code 1002 to data elements 710 a,d of a secondbyte code 206. In converting step 702, byte code files of a first type202 can be converted into one or more byte code data elements 706.Similarly, in a converting step 1302, markup language files 1002 can beconverted into one or more markup language data elements 1306. Asdescribed above, data elements 706, 1306 can include objects,instructions, and numerous other structural elements within a computerprogram. Turning to markup language data elements 1306 specifically,markup language data elements 1306 most typically include informationrelating to the appearance and displayed structure of a computer programas well as references to data and functionality in a first byte code202. For example, markup language data elements 1306 could include datastructures defining colors, lines, shapes, text and layout positions inmarkup language code 1002, as well as many other data structures aswould be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art and as will bedescribed in further detail below. In an exemplary embodiment, a XAMLmarkup language file 1002 could be parsed into a group of data elements1306 including external file references, colors, brushes, pens, shapes,text, images, animations, transforms, sound, video and controls. Itshould also be noted that because many markup languages are extensible,the list of constituent data elements 1306 comprising a markup languagefile 1002 is not bounded and extensible as well.

In a mapping step 1304, data elements of a first byte code 706 and dataelements of markup language 1306 are parsed from byte code 202 andmarkup language files 1002, respectively. At least a portion of the dataelements 706, 1306 can be mapped to data elements of a second type 710a,d. Information contained in the source byte code 202 may also be usedto assist the mapping process 1304 for markup language data elements1306 and vice versa. Alternatively, markup language data elements 1306may be mapped to data elements of a second type 710 d without referenceto the first byte code 202 or byte code data elements 706 and viceversa. In a converting step 712, data elements of a second type 710 a,dcan be received and assembled into a resulting byte code of a secondtype 206.

In one embodiment in accordance with the present invention, the mappingstep 1304 is carried out by referencing markup language mappinglibraries 1308. Markup language mapping libraries 1308 can containinstructions or subroutines that receive input from markup language dataelements 1306, determine if any mapping exists to one or more dataelements of a second type 710 d, and return information indicatingwhich, if any, data elements of a second type 710 d have matches. Markuplanguage mapping libraries 1308 can comprise mapping instructions formapping display and layout elements defined in the markup language code1002, as well as mapping and association instructions for references tofirst byte code data elements 706 in the markup language code 1002.Markup language mapping libraries 1308 can be implemented in any similardigital format as byte code mapping libraries 708, as previouslydescribed. In an embodiment in accordance with the present invention, amarkup language mapping library 1308 could contain instructions formapping XAML tag data elements 1306 to SWF data elements 710 d, asexplained in further detail below.

In another embodiment in accordance with the present invention, themapping step 1304 is augmented by referencing byte code mappinglibraries 708. Byte code mapping libraries 708, as previously described,can contain instructions or code for mapping first byte code dataelements 706 to one or more second byte code data elements 710 a.

In another embodiment in accordance with the present invention themapping step 1304 is carried out by referencing both byte code mappinglibraries 708 and markup language mapping libraries 1308, asindividually explained above. Moreover, information in one mappinglibrary 708, 1308 may be used to help data element matching for eitheror both forms of data elements 706, 1306. The mapping libraries 708,1308 may be stored and executed as part of the same library file orpackaged set of libraries. In the alternative, the mapping libraries708, 1308 may comprise physically separate digital files. In addition,either or both of the mapping libraries 708, 1308 may be implemented inpreferred embodiments in accordance with the present invention as lookuptables, as previously described in greater detail. Alternatively, themapping libraries 708, 1308 could comprise data structures such as hashtables, associative arrays or arrays.

Additional embodiments in accordance with the present inventionillustrated in FIG. 13 can carry out an insertion step 716 to insertbridging byte code of a second type 714 in the resulting second bytecode 206. During the data element mapping step 1304, it is possible thateither first byte code data elements 706 and/or markup language dataelements 1306 will not be successfully mapped to second byte code dataelements 710 a,d. As described above, in such cases where not all dataelements 706, 1306 are mapped, the resulting byte code 206 may lackportions of functionality or data in source byte code 202 or markuplanguage code 1002.

One method to redress this situation, according to an embodiment inaccordance with the present invention, is to insert bridging byte code714 in an insertion step 716. The bridging byte code 714 may comprise,for example, additional functional or data code in the case that one ormore first byte code data elements 706 failed to map. Alternately, or inaddition, the bridging byte code 714 may comprise, for example, layoutinstructions or display elements in the case that some of the markuplanguage data elements 1306 were not mapped.

In one embodiment according to the present invention, bridging byte code714 is generated automatically by a computer process in response tomapping step 1304 and/or conversion step 712, as described in detailabove. The bridging byte code 714 may be generated by a softwareapplication that is part of the one or more software applicationsexecuting the overall byte code conversion process, or the bridging bytecode 714 may alternately be generated by a standalone softwareapplication that is called as necessary. The generated bridging bytecode 714 is then inserted into the resulting byte code 206.

In yet another embodiment according to the present invention, aprogrammer or external software application can initiate the insertionstep 716 and insert custom bridging byte code 714. As describedpreviously, a developer may examine the second byte code 716 anddiscover functionality or data missing that was originally contained inthe first byte code 202 and/or markup language code 1002. The developermay then create custom bridging byte code 714 and insert the code intothe second byte code 206 in an insertion step 716. Alternately, acomputer program may be executed which performs the tasks of analyzingmissing functionality, generation of bridging byte code 714 andinsertion in an insertion step 716.

FIGS. 14 a and 14 b, together, show in greater detail one preferredembodiment for a mapping step 1402. FIGS. 14 a and 14 b togetherillustrate an operational flow diagram of a data element mapping step1402 according to an exemplary embodiment in accordance with the presentinvention in which XAML markup language data elements 1404 are mapped toSWF data elements 1452. As previously noted, XAML is an implementationof XML and thus, any specific discussion of XAML in the presentpreferred embodiment necessarily applies to XML, as well as serving as ageneral example of the capabilities of markup languages in the presentinvention. A mapping step 1402 can optionally reference mappinginstructions contained in a markup language mapping library 1406.Alternately, a mapping step 1402 can be performed with instructions inthe native software application that performs the mapping step 1402.

XAML data elements 1404 can be further categorized into various XAMLdata element types 1408-1428. It is important to note that because XAML,XML and other “extensible” markup languages are extensible, the set ofdifferent constituent tags, categories, types and data elements 1404 ispotentially limitless. Thus, the categories noted in this exemplaryembodiment are provided for illustrative purposes and are not intendedto limit the scope of the present invention. XAML data elements 1404 cancomprise constructs such as colors 1408, brushes 1410, pens 1412, shapes1414, text 1416, images 1418, animation 1420, transforms 1422, sound1424, video 1426 and controls 1428. XAML colors 1408 are represented asfour bytes, one for each color channel (red, green and blue) and one forthe alpha channel. In mapping steps 1430-1450, XAML constructs 1408-1428are mapped where possible to analogous SWF constructs comprised of oneor more SWF tags, records and/or actions. It should also be noted thatalthough specific SWF tags, records and/or actions are specified formapping XAML data elements 1404, XAML data element types 1408-1428 canbe mapped in respective mapping steps 1430-1450 in varying combinationsof SWF tags, records and/or actions. Where no direct analogous elementsbetween XAML and SWF exist, embodiments in accordance with the presentinvention may simulate XAML elements by substituting combinations of twoor more SWF tags, records and/or actions that together approximate agiven XAML element.

XAML colors 1408 can be mapped to SWF RGB or RGBA records in a mappingstep 1430. Brushes 1410 are used to fill regions of a vector graphicshape and typically comprise solid, gradient or bitmap type brushes.Brushes 1410 are translated to SWF FillStyle records in a mapping step1432. Pens 1412 are used to draw the contours of shapes and compriseproperties such as brush, thickness, starting line cap, ending line cap,dash array, dash cap and line join. Pens 1412 can be translated to SWFLineStyle records in a mapping step 1434. XAML shapes 1414 include, forexample, ellipses, lines, paths, polygons, polylines, rectangles androunded rectangles and are translated to SWF Edge records in a mappingstep 1436. Specifically, ellipses are converted to SWF CurvedEdgerecords. Lines, polygons, polylines and rectangles are converted SWFStraightEdge records. Paths and rounded rectangles are converted intoseries of SWF CurvedEdge and StraightEdge records. Text 1416 comprises aseries of Unicode characters and is translated to SWF DefineFont2,DefineFontInfo2, DefineText2 or DefineEditText SWF tags in a mappingstep 1438. Images 1418 consist of a grid of pixel data that can becompressed or represented in a variety of formats including: BMP, EMG,EXIF, GIF, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, WMF and SWF. JPEG images are converted toSWF DefineBits, DefineBitsJPEG2 and DefineBitsJPEG3 tags in a mappingstep 1440. The other exemplary formats mentioned above are converted toSWF DefineBitsLossless and DefineBitsLossless2 tags in a mapping step1440. XAML defines animation 1420 as values that change over time andwill animate values including: Boolean, Byte, Int16, Int32, Int64,Single, Double, Color, Length, Size, Thickness, Point, Rect, Vector,Matrix and Path. SWF defines animation using frames and change valuesfor each frame. The step 1442 of converting XAML animation 1420 to SWFanimation comprises matching time-based animation values to the targetframe rate of the resulting SWF file. XAML transforms 1422 are used toplace and modify objects, fills, text and buttons. XAML presentlysupports many transformation types including: rotate, scale, skew andtranslate, as well as concatenations of transforms using matrixmultiplication. XAML transforms 1422 are converted to SWF Matrix recordsin a mapping step 1444. SWF Matrix records may then be associated withtags and records for other SWF data elements 1452 to performtransformations on those data elements 1452. XAML sound elements 1424link to embedded or streaming sound files comprising series of samplesat a given sample rate. In a mapping step 1446, XAML embedded soundreferences 1424 are converted to SWF DefineSound tags, and XAMLstreaming sound references 1424 are converted to SWF SoundStreamHead andSoundStreamBlock tags. XAML video references 1426 link to video filescomprising series of raster image frames. Video files are typicallystreamed from an external source. XAML streamed video references 1426are converted to SWF DefineVideoStream tags in a mapping step 1448.

XAML controls 1428 may comprise any of the XAML elements described inFIG. 14 or other XAML elements. Examples of controls include: Button,Canvas, CheckBox, ComboBox, Group, Image, Label, ListBox, Menu, Panel,RadioButton, ScollBar, TabControl, TextBox, Timer, and Window. Inaddition, custom controls may be created, leading to an unbounded listof potentially applicable controls 1428. Controls may contain bothdisplay elements and functionality, typically by referring to externalbyte code such as Common Intermediate Language byte code in a .NetAssembly. In a conversion step 1450, controls 1428 can be converted intoSWF data elements 1452 using the previously described techniques formapping XAML to SWF data elements and mapping .Net Assemblies and CommonIntermediate Language data elements to SWF data elements.

With reference to FIGS. 11, 12 and 13, an object graph 1106 may beutilized in embodiments in accordance with the present invention in thestep 1302 of converting markup language files 1002 into data elements1306. Referring to FIG. 11, and as described above, markup languagefiles 1002 may be converted into an object graph 1106 in a convertingstep 1104. The resulting object graph 1106 comprises a graph structureof markup language tags and/or first byte code 202 associations. Withreference to FIG. 12, and as previously detailed, in one embodiment inaccordance with the present invention, an object graph 1106 isoptionally generated by first converting markup language code 1002 intoan intermediate graph structure 1206. Referring now to FIGS. 11 and 13,during a conversion step 1302 some or all of the individual objects inthe object graph 1106 may be converted to markup language data elements1306. Because an object graph 1106 comprises an ordered structure ofmarkup language objects, it is more readily parsed into individual dataelements.

Referring now to FIG. 11, when an intermediate data structure 406 isgenerated from first byte code 202 and used in conjunction with anobject graph 1106, the structure and contents of an overall softwareprogram become much more apparent and distinguishable. Thus, withreference to FIGS. 11 and 13, a preferred embodiment in accordance withthe present invention converts first byte code intermediate datastructures 406 into first byte code data elements 706, and convertsmarkup language object graphs 1106 into markup language data elements1306. In this preferred embodiment, at least a portion of both the bytecode 202 and markup language code 1002 is already in a structured andordered format prior to respective data element conversions 702, 1302.

FIG. 16 is an operational flow diagram illustrating one method inaccordance with the present invention of extracting inline byte code ofa first type 1604 and inline markup language code of a first type 1606from a second markup language wrapping file 1602 and converting both tobyte code of a second type 206. As described above, markup languages candescribe many types of data including text, graphics, user interfacesand references to byte code data. In addition, markup languages canstore byte code 1604 and/or other markup language code 1606 as inlinedata within a wrapping markup language file 1602. In one embodiment,inline data can be designated by “markers” that indicate the beginningand end of various sections of inline markup code 1606 and/or inlinebyte code 1604. Inline byte code 1604 is extracted in an extracting step1608 to form stand-alone or separate byte code of a first type. Inlinebyte code 1604 may be in either binary format or in an intermediatelanguage format, as previously described. Inline markup language code1606 is extracted in an extracting step 1610 from the wrapping markuplanguage file 1602 to form stand-alone or separate markup language code.Exemplary wrapping markup language formats include any scripting markuplanguage, such as ASP, PHP or CFML, as well as extensible markuplanguages, such as XML and XAML. Exemplary inline markup languageformats include any markup language format discussed herein. Theextracted byte code of a first type and markup language code are thenconverted to byte code of a second type 206 in a transformation step1612. In one embodiment according to the present invention, a requestfor a wrapping markup language file 1602 initiates the extraction andconversion processes 1608, 1610 and 1612. For example, a web browserrequest to an ASP scripting markup language file 1602 containing inlineXAML markup language 1606 and byte code 1604 could initiate theextraction steps 1608 and 1610, as well as the conversion step 1612 toform SWF byte code 206 for display within the ASP markup page 1602 usinga Flash plug-in executing within a web browser. Moreover, the extractedbyte code of a first type and markup language code can be transformedaccording to any of the embodiments of the present invention disclosedherein, as well as variations that will become apparent to those ofskill in the art upon reading the description herein.

FIG. 17 is an operational flow diagram illustrating one method inaccordance with the present invention of extracting source code 1704 andinline markup language code of a first type 1606 from a second markuplanguage wrapping file 1702 and converting both to byte code 206. Markuplanguages can further store program source code 1704 as inline data in awrapping markup language file 1702. Inline source code 1704 is extractedin an extracting step 1706 and mapped to a byte code 206 in atransformation step 1708. Exemplary inline source code languages includeJava, ActionScript, or any Common Language Infrastructure language.Similar to FIG. 16, inline markup language code 1606 is extracted instep 1610 and mapped to byte code 206 in step 1708.

In addition to embodiments converting byte code and markup language codeinto byte code of a second type, further embodiments in accordance withthe present invention can produce byte code of a second type as well asmarkup language of a different type. FIG. 19 is an operational flowdiagram illustrating a method of converting byte code of a first type202 and/or markup language code of a first type 1002 into byte code of asecond type 206 and markup language code of a second type 1904 in atransforming step 1902, according to an alternate embodiment of thepresent invention. It should be noted that markup languages may be ofdifferent types while at the same time being sub- or super-sets of oneanother. For instance, XAML and XML could be considered different typesof markup languages, despite the fact that XAML is an XML-basedlanguage. As an exemplary scenario, SWF byte code 202 and optionally XMLmarkup language code 1002 could be converted into Common IntermediateLanguage byte code 206 and XAML markup language code 1904, wherein atleast a portion of the objects, data, data descriptions, displayinstructions and structures of the SWF and optional XML code areconverted to either Common Intermediate Language or XAML data elements.

The method illustrated in FIG. 19 can extend and enhance many of thevarious methods, intermediate procedures and embodiments according tothe present invention previously described. With reference to FIG. 4,FIG. 4 illustrates a method of converting a first byte code 202 into anintermediate data structure 406. Similarly, an embodiment in accordancewith the method illustrated in FIG. 19 may create an intermediate datastructure corresponding to a second byte code type, which is used tothen create a second byte code 206. Turning to FIG. 5, FIG. 5illustrates a method of converting byte code 202 into an intermediatelanguage format 506. Similarly, in an embodiment in accordance with theillustration in FIG. 19, an intermediate data structure of a second typemay be further converted into an intermediate language format of asecond byte code type. The intermediate language format of a second bytecode type may be compiled into second byte code 206. With reference toFIG. 7, FIG. 7 discloses a method of mapping data elements of a firstbyte code type 706 a-c to data elements of a second byte code type 710a-c. Similarly, another embodiment in accordance with the methodillustrated in FIG. 19 can map data elements of a first byte code typeto both data elements of a second byte code type and/or data elements ofa second markup language type. With reference now to FIG. 19 in view ofFIG. 13, data elements of a first markup language type can also bemapped to both data elements of a second byte code type and/or dataelements of a second markup language type. The second byte code andsecond markup language data elements can be assembled into second bytecode files and second markup language files, respectively. Additionally,bridging byte code of a second type or bridging markup language of asecond type can be inserted into the resulting byte and markup languagecode as described for bridging byte code insertion above.

With reference to FIG. 12, FIG. 12 illustrates a method of converting amarkup language file into an intermediate graph structure 1206. Theintermediate graph structure 1206 can be converted into an object graph1106 for further conversion, as illustrated in FIG. 11. Turning to FIG.19, an alternate embodiment of the method illustrated in FIG. 19 cancreate an object graph of a second markup language type that canrepresent some or all markup language tags from an optional first markuplanguage code, as well as references to data and objects in adestination second byte code. Additionally, a second markup languageobject graph may be further processed into an intermediate graphstructure reflecting the structure of a destination markup language file1904. The object graph and/or the intermediate data structures may beconverted into markup language of a second type 1904. With reference tothe method illustrated in FIG. 19 viewed in light of FIG. 13, byte codeand markup language mapping libraries can be optionally used to mapinput data elements to byte code data elements of a second type andmarkup language data elements of a second type.

With reference now to FIG. 19, as a further exemplary scenario, SWF bytecode 202 and optionally XML markup language code 1002 can be mapped todata elements of a Common Intermediate Language byte code type and dataelements of a XAML markup language type. The Common IntermediateLanguage byte code data elements can be converted in step 1902 into aDOM or abstract syntax tree intermediate data structure. Theintermediate data structure can be further converted into CIL assemblylanguage (an intermediate language format). The CIL assembly languagefiles can be assembled into a resulting Common Intermediate Languagebyte code 206. The XAML markup language data elements may be assembledinto an intermediate XAML graph structure and further assembled into aXAML object graph. The resulting XAML object graph can then be parsedinto a XAML markup language file 1904.

FIG. 20 is an operational flow diagram illustrating a method ofconverting byte code of a first type 202 and/or markup language code ofa first type 1002 into source code of a second type 2004 and markuplanguage code of a second type 1904 in a transforming step 2002,according to an alternate embodiment of the present invention. Themethod illustrated in FIG. 20 incorporates the transformations describedpreviously for first byte code files 202, first markup language files1002 and second markup language files 1904. In an embodiment illustratedin FIG. 20, byte code files 202 and optionally first markup languagefiles 1002 are converted to source code files 2004. Source code files2004 can be created by mapping data elements of first byte code files202 and markup language files 1002 to data elements of a target sourcecode, as similarly described above. Alternately, or in addition, firstbyte code files 202 and first markup language files 1002 can beconverted into an intermediate data structure of a destination sourcecode type. The intermediate data structure may then be disassembleddirectly to source code. For example, SWF byte code 202 and optional XMLmarkup language code 1002 can be converted into XAML destination markuplanguage code 1904 in a similar fashion as that previously describedwhile additionally converting at least a portion of the SWF and/or XMLcodes into C# source code file 2004. In an alternate example, CIL bytecode 202 and optional XAML markup language code 1002 can be convertedinto HTML or XML destination markup language code 1904 and JavaScriptsource code 2004. Additionally, the JavaScript source code 2004 could bestored within an HTML or XML destination markup language code file 1904,or in a separate source code file.

FIG. 24 is an operational flow diagram illustrating a method ofconverting byte code of a first type 202 and markup language code 1002into byte code of a second type 206 and one or more media files 2404.The method illustrated in FIG. 24 also incorporates the transformationsdescribed previously for first byte code files 202, first markuplanguages files 1002 and producing second markup language files. In anembodiment illustrated in FIG. 24, one or more byte code files of afirst type 202 and one or more markup language files 1002 are convertedin a transforming step 2402 into byte code files of a second type 206and one or more media files 2404. Media files generally comprise anyformat in which digital media can be stored or compressed, includingimages, sounds or video. In a further embodiment according to theinvention, display elements from a first markup language 1002 areconverted into analogous display elements in a media file 2404. Forexample, a graphical display object in a XAML markup language file 1002could be converted into an image bitmap media file 2404, or convertedinto other image formats such as Portable Network Graphics (PNG), JointPhotographic Experts Group (JPEG), or Graphics Interchange Format (GIF)formats. Alternatively, sound media files 2404 in such formats as AudioInterchange File Format (AIFF), MP3, WAVEform audio format (WAV),Windows Media Audio (WMA), Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), Ogg Vorbis, orRealAudio could be produced. Video media files 2404 in such formats asQuickTime, MPEG, RealVideo, Audio Video Interleave (AVI), or WindowsMedia Video (WMV) could also be produced. In an alternate embodiment,graphical or media data elements of a first byte code 202 are convertedinto analogous elements in a media file 2404. Such embodiments areuseful for portable display devices, like personal digital assistants,that might not be able to correctly render a second byte code 206 and/orproduced second markup language code, but can display media such asbasic image formats from a media file 2404.

FIG. 15 describes in greater detail various embodiments according to thepresent invention for utilizing byte code files 206 created in acomputer system 102 by a byte code converter 124. FIG. 15 is a diagramof a workstation computer 1502 connected to client computers 1506 a-band servers 1508 a-b across a network 1504. A workstation 1502 comprisesan exemplary computer system environment 102 and a byte code converter124 as previously described. The byte code converter 124 produces bytecode of a second type 206 according to the exemplary systems and methodsdescribed previously, as well as variations that will become apparent tothose of skill in the art after reading this description. The byte codeconversion process may be initiated by a user action on a workstation1502, or it may be automatically initiated by some other process orapplication running on a workstation 1502 or another computer across anetwork 1504. Workstation 1502 may alternately be any type of computersystem that is capable of producing a second byte code 206 according tothe present invention, including, for example, client computers 1506a-b, servers 1508, and laptop computers. Examples of a network 1504 caninclude LANs, WANs or the internet. In one embodiment according to thepresent invention, a workstation 1502 may transmit second byte codefiles 206 across a network 1504 directly to a client computer 1506 a ina peer-to-peer network configuration. In an alternate embodiment, aworkstation 1502 may transmit second byte code files 206 across anetwork 1504 to server computers 1508 a-b. Servers 1508 a-b can make thesecond byte code files 206 available for transmission to other computerson the network 1504. For example, a server 1508 a may serve second bytecode files 206 to a client computer 1506 b in a server-client networkconfiguration. Examples of applications that may transmit second bytecode files 206 across a network 1504 include web server applications,File Transfer Protocol (FTP) applications, peer-to-peer sharingapplications, email server applications, and multimedia serverapplications. As an illustrative example, a Windows server could receivesecond byte code files 206 and serve the files to web browser clients byposting the files for download through Microsoft Internet InformationServer (IIS) (a web server application). It should be further noted thatadditional network configurations, such as ring topologies, hub, andspoke topologies could also be implemented to receive and distributesecond byte code files 206 according to the present invention.

FIG. 26 illustrates an embodiment according to the present invention inwhich byte code of a first type 202 is converted into byte codecomponents of a second type 2604 a-d, which can be assembled into bytecode files of a second type 206 a-b. In a converting step 2602, bytecode files 202 are converted into one or more byte code components 2604a-d. A byte code component 2604 a-d is any portion of a byte codeapplication that can be combined with another byte code component 2604a-d to form together byte code of a second type 206 a-b. A byte codecomponent 2604 a-d may comprise a stand-alone application, or only aportion, library, or data store from a larger byte code application.Byte code components 2604 a-d may be comprised of one or more dataelements of a second type, as described above for FIG. 7. Byte codecomponents 2604 a-d can represent different parts of a softwareapplication. For example, one byte code component 2604 a-d may containbyte code instructions for the underlying functionality and logic for asoftware application, while another byte code component 2604 a-d maycontain instructions for a graphical user interface for a specificoperating system platform. In one or more assembling steps 2606 a-b, atleast one byte code component 2604 a-d is assembled to form byte code ofa second type 206 a-b. The assembling step 2606 a-b also determineswhich byte code components 2604 a-b should be selected and assembled toform target byte code files 206 a-b. Such a determination can be madeautomatically by a process on the computer performing the byte codeconversion, or manually by a computer administrator. In a preferredembodiment, determination and selection of byte code components 2604 a-dis performed dynamically and automatically by a computer in response toa request for target byte code 206 a-b from another computer or process.The assembled byte code of a second type 206 a-b can comprise a singlefile or alternately many files. In an exemplary scenario, byte component2604 a contains byte code instructions for a graphical user interfacefor the Windows operating system, component 2604 b contains byte codeinstructions for network communications, component 2604 c contains bytecode instructions for the underlying logic of the software application,and component 2604 d contains byte code instructions for a graphicaluser interface for the Mac OS X operating system. In an assembling step2606 a, byte code components 2604 a-c could be assembled into byte code206 a comprising a client desktop application for the Windows operatingsystem, because the byte code components 2604 a-c respectively containinstructions for a graphical user interface for Windows, networkcommunication, and the underlying program logic. In an alternateassembling step 2606 b, byte code components 2604 b-d could be assembledinto a different byte code 206 b comprising a client desktop applicationfor Mac OS X, because the byte code components 2604 b-d respectivelycontain instructions for network communication, the underlying logic,and a graphical user interface for Mac OS X. Assembling steps 2606 a-bcan thus reuse certain common byte code components 2604 a-d in anunderlying software application, while integrating some environment ortarget-specific byte code components to create an overall byte code 206a-b. Creating a second byte code 206 a-b through this process allowsspecific applications to be created while reusing all common byte codecomponents 2604 a-d, saving time that would otherwise be spentre-converting or mapping a first byte code 202. In the present example,assembling byte code components 2604 a-d can be used to create differenttarget byte code 206 a-b for a different operating system environment.Similarly, byte code components 2604 a-d can be assembled into targetbyte codes 206 a-b that target different versions of a single byte codeinterpreter or computer systems with different supporting applicationsor libraries.

In one exemplary embodiment according the present invention, a byte codeconverter application on a server performs the step of converting bytecode 2602 of a first type 202 into byte code components 2604 a-d.Alternate embodiments that would be apparent to one of skill in the artupon reading the following description include byte code convertingsystems implemented on peer-to-peer networks and other networktopologies, as well as over mail, web or other network protocols.Returning to the server embodiment, the server computer can contain abyte code converter and serve second byte code files 206 a-b to clientcomputers or other server computers, as described more fully above forFIG. 15. The byte code converter could run as a stand-alone applicationon a server or as a plug-in, as described in more detail below for FIG.18. In the present embodiment, a server computer can convert first bytecode files 202 into and serve second byte code files 206 a-b to othercomputers over a network. Ideally, the server computer can serve aspecific second byte code 206 a to one client, while serving a differentsecond byte code 206 b to another client, based on factors such as theenvironment, available applications and operating system of thereceiving client computer.

In one exemplary configuration, a client computer initiates a request tothe server for a second byte code 206 a-b specific to the client. If therequest is the first request, then the byte code converter on the serverconverts the byte code of a first type 202 into byte code components2604 a-c, which are retained on the server computer and assembled into aclient-specific second byte code 206 a. The specific target byte code206 a is then returned to the client. In a subsequent client request forthe same target byte code 206 a, the byte code 206 a can be assembledfrom the retained byte code components 2604 a-c. If a subsequent clientconnects to the server computer and requests a different second bytecode 206 b, the server performs a determination step to see if theclient request can be satisfied with target byte code 206 a-b comprisedof the existing, retained byte code components 2604 a-d, or ifadditional byte code components 2604 a-d must be produced to create aclient-specific target byte code 206 a-b. In this fashion, the presentembodiment of the invention allows efficient reuse of common byte codecomponents 2604 a-d. In the current example, the server computerdetermines that the target byte code 206 b requires byte code components2604 b-c, which are already retained on the server, and byte codecomponent 2604 d, which has not yet been created. The server performsconverting step 2602 to produce missing byte code component 2604 d fromsource byte code 202. Byte code component 2604 d is then retained by theserver and combined with byte code components 2604 b-c to form theclient-specific byte code of a second type 206 b. For example, a servercontaining CIL source byte code 202 could be configured to convert andserve SWF target byte code 206 a containing a Windows-specific interfaceto a Windows operating system client computer. The server can then reusethe generic old byte code components 2604 b-c from one or more earlierbyte code conversions and create a new byte code component 2604 d toserver SWF target byte code 206 b to a Mac OS X-specific interface on aMac OS X operating system client computer.

In an alternate exemplary configuration, a server can convert byte codefiles 202 into one or more byte code components 2604 a-d beforereceiving a client request requiring those specific components 2604 a-d.Upon a client request for a specific target byte code 206 a, the servercan perform a determination step to decide if the necessary byte codecomponents 2604 a-c have already been created and retained among thepre-created byte code components 2604 a-c. If the necessary byte codecomponents 2604 a-c are present, then the target byte code 206 a isassembled. If not, the additional byte code components 2604 a-d missingfrom the target byte code 206 a can then be converted from the sourcebyte code 202. Thus, in this configuration, the server can be set up toaccommodate the most likely target byte code files 206 a-b to berequested by client computers by predicting and compiling anticipatedbyte code components 2604 a-d.

In another embodiment of the invention, after receiving a target bytecode 206 a-b, a client computer from the client-server example may cachethe target byte code 206 a-b or individual byte code components 2604a-d. If the client computer requires an updated version of the targetbyte code 206 a-b, it can initiate another request to the server. Theserver determines which byte code components 2604 a-d the client alreadyhas by, for example, communicating with the client or referencing a logof byte code component 2604 a-d transfers, and optionally converts andsends only the different updated byte code components 2604 a-d to theclient computer. The client computer can then invoke the byte codeapplication using the cached older byte code components 2604 a-d thatdid not require updating, and updated byte code components 2604 a-d forthe portion of the byte code application that did require updating. Theassembling step 2606 a-b may be required on the client end to produce aworkable target byte code 206 a-b, or the byte code components 2604 a-dmay already be able to interact without any assembling step 2606 a-b.Moreover, if certain byte code components are determined to regularlyrequire updating, the assembly step 2606 a-b can be performed to makeone or more groups of byte code files that remain substantially staticand one or more other groups of byte code files expected to change overtime. The static and dynamic groups are sent together to a client as atarget byte code 206 a-b, but remain replaceable in parts, should thebyte code 206 a-b require updating. Moreover, in an alternateembodiment, a byte code of a second type 206 a-b can be created fromonly a portion of the source byte code 202 and/or second byte codecomponents 2604 a-d and sent to another computer. When additionalfunctionality or methods are needed from the invocation of the resultingbyte code 206 a-b, a communication can be made to the convertingcomputer to convert additional source byte code 202, or return otherbyte code components 2604 a-d.

In one exemplary embodiment according to the invention, the byte codecomponents 2604 a-d retained by a computer after a source byte codeconversion step 2602 are stored in a database. For example, a databasereference to a byte code component 2604 a-d could include suchinformation as the byte code language, the program definition, theclient operating system to which the byte code component 2604 a-dtargets, and other information. The database can later be referenced foreasy lookup of byte code components 2604 a-d to reuse in assemblingspecific target byte code files 206 a-b. In alternate embodiments, aflat file system or other data storage medium could be used to storebyte code components 2604 a-d.

FIG. 18 is a diagram of a computer system 102 embodied in a computer1802 and containing a software application 1804, an application plug-in1806 and a byte code converter 124 according to one embodiment of thepresent invention. Suitable computers 1802 can include workstations,client computers and servers. A software application 1804 calls aplug-in application 1806 that invokes a byte code converter 124 toconvert first byte code and/or first markup language code into secondbyte code and/or second markup language code according to the exemplarysystems and methods described previously, as well as variations thatwill become apparent to those of skill in the art after reading thisdescription. A plug-in application 1806 is typically a module orapplication that adds features or functionality to another application.One advantage of plug-ins 1806 is that they allow users to enhance thefunctionality of a software application 1804 with only specificallychosen additional features available in different plug-ins 1806. Plug-inapplications 1806 may run within a restricted environment in a softwareapplication 1804 for security. Software applications 1804 usuallyprovide means for plug-ins 1806 to be registered and protocols for dataexchanges with plug-ins 1806 and software applications 1804. Softwareapplications 1804 allowing for plug-ins 1806 typically provide a plug-inApplication Programming Interface (API) to allow software developers tocreate custom plug-in applications 1806. Examples of web browserapplications 1804 allowing for plug-ins 1806 include Internet Explorer,Mozilla Firefox, and Netscape Navigator. Examples of web serverapplications 1804 allowing for plug-ins 1806 (often called “modules” inthis context) include IIS and the Apache Software Foundation's ApacheHTTP Server. In one embodiment according to the present invention, a webserver application 1804 may offer markup language files and/or byte codefiles for download by web browser clients. A web server plug-in 1806 canbe invoked in response to a client browser request to dynamicallyconvert markup language code and/or byte code to different types ofmarkup language and/or byte code in accordance with various embodimentsof the present invention as previously described. Additionally, a webserver application 1804 and/or web server plug-in 1806 to provideauthentication services in connection with transmitted byte code and/ormarkup language files. For example, an IIS web server 1804 maydistribute a converted SWF byte code file to a client web browser. As aprerequisite to execution in the client web browser, the converted SWFbyte code file may contain instructions to contact the IIS web server1804 and authenticate itself. Upon successful authentication, the SWFbyte code can then execute.

Many types of applications 1804 such as graphics applications, likeAdobe® Acrobat®, Adobe® Illustrator®, and integrated developmentenvironments, and multimedia servers, such as audio and video streamingservers, similarly allow for the use of plug-ins 1806 (ADOBE, PHOTOSHOP,and ILLUSTRATOR are either registered trademarks or trademarks of AdobeSystems Incorporated). A plug-in application 1806 may comprise anapplication that accesses a separate byte converter application 124.Alternately, a plug-in application 1806 may be comprised within the samelarger application as byte converter application 124.

Also, a software application 1804 may be modified with softwareapplication extensions comprising similar functionality to a plug-in1806. A software extension is typically created using extension APIs fora software application 1804 and allows modifications or additions to thefunctionality of an application, usually with fewer restrictions than anapplication plug-in 1806. A software extension to a software application1804 could contain or invoke a byte code converter 124 for convertingbyte code and markup language files, as previously described.

FIG. 25 illustrates an exemplary scenario utilizing byte code conversionwithin a software application. FIG. 25 is an operational flow diagramillustrating one embodiment in accordance with the invention ofdeveloping source code of a first type 302 and optionally markuplanguage code of a first type 1002 in an integrated developmentenvironment and producing target byte code of a second type 206. In adeveloping step 2502, source code of a first type 302 and optionallymarkup language of a first type 1002 can be programmed. Source code 302and markup language 1002 can be developed in an integrated developmentenvironment (IDE), a software application typically consisting of asource code editor, a compiler and/or interpreter, build tools, adebugger, and other useful programming tools. Exemplary IDEs includeVisual Studio® and Eclipse from the Eclipse Foundation (VISUAL STUDIO isa registered trademark of Microsoft Corp.). In one example according tothe present invention, a developer can develop C# source code 302 andXAML markup language code 1002 in Visual Studio. Alternately, sourcecode files 302 and/or markup language files 1002 can be createdelsewhere and opened or linked within Visual Studio. In compiling step308, the source code files of a first type 302 are compiled into bytecode of a first type 202. For example, C# source code 302 can becompiled in Visual Studio into CIL byte code 202. In an alternateexample, Java source code 302 can be compiled in Eclipse into Java bytecode 202. In step 2504, if further development is needed for the nativeapplication of a first type (comprising first byte code 202 and optionalfirst markup language 1002) under development, a developer or anautomated IDE process can take further development steps 2506, such asbuilding, launching, testing, and debugging the application. Typically,such testing reveals errors or areas for improvement that can beaddressed by repeating a development step 2502, wherein a developer canenhance the original source code 302 or markup language files 1002 andcontinuing through the steps as described above. Returning to step 2504,if the byte code 202 requires no further development, or the developerwishes to test what has been developed at that point, the source firstbyte code 202 can be transformed in a transforming step 1004 into bytecode of a second type 206 as previously described in this description.In one exemplary embodiment, this transformation step 1004 is performedby a developer selecting the target byte code 206 as the developmenttarget and deselecting the native byte code 202 target in an IDE. Theselection of a new development target in the IDE invokes computerinstructions to transform source code 302 into source byte code 202 andthen to target byte code 206 as described above. In an alternateembodiment, the transformation step 1004 can occur as a post-buildprocess, after the IDE has finished compilation of the first source code302 into first byte code 202. Additionally, first markup language files1002 can also be transformed with the source byte code 202 into targetbyte code 206. The first markup language files 1002 can also beconverted in a converting step into markup language files of a secondtype as previously described in this description.

The byte code transforming step 1004 and markup language transformingstep can be performed within an IDE. In one exemplary embodiment, a bytecode converter software application takes the form of an applicationplug-in for an IDE. Upon compiling and producing native byte code 202and markup language files 1002, the IDE can communicate instructions toinvoke the byte code converter plug-in to carry out the transformationstep 1004. For example, both Visual Studio and Eclipse have plug-inarchitectures that enable developers to write software applicationplug-ins that can be invoked from within the IDE. Turning to VisualStudio, C# source code 302 can be natively compiled by the Visual StudioIDE into CIL byte code 202 and packaged with XAML markup language code1002 to form a .Net application. Following automatic instructions oruser input, Visual Studio can then invoke a byte code converting plug-inaccording to the present invention, which can convert the CIL byte code202 and XAML markup language code 1002 into target SWF byte code andoptionally one or more target markup language files. Alternately,computer instructions containing logic to convert byte code intransformation step 1004 may be natively built in to an IDE, which couldinvoke the transformation instructions directly from the application. Ina preferred embodiment, a menu command, graphical button or buildinstruction in the Visual Studio IDE graphical interface invokes ordesignates the execution of the byte code converting IDE plug-in ornative computer instructions. One advantage of allowing for developmentand testing in one language, and producing a target byte code 206 inanother language as part of a build process is that debugging and codingin the native environment can be more useful and efficient. For example,developers might have great expertise at the source code 302 languageand source byte code 202 instructions, but very little experience withthe target byte code 206 instruction set or intermediate language.

In optional step 2508, if further development is needed for theconverted target application of a second type (comprising second bytecode 206 and optional markup language files), a developer or anautomated IDE process can take further development steps 2510, such asbuilding, launching, testing, and debugging the converted application.Similar to the steps of testing a native application of a first type, iftesting reveals errors or possible improvements, development step 2502can be repeated with all subsequent development steps proceeding againas described above. In the case that no further development is needed,an optional step 2512 can be performed, wherein the target byte code ofa second type 206 may be launched. For example, if SWF byte code 206 iscreated in an exemplary byte code converter plug-in, a live instance ofexecution of the SWF byte code 206 may be displayed. Additionally, theresulting byte code 206 may be displayed to a developer within an IDE,so that a developer may review and edit the created target byte code 206further.

In an alternate embodiment according to the present invention, thetransformation step 1004 can take place at any time during thedevelopment of the first source code 302 or markup language 1002. Manyconventional IDEs provide for a “preview” function, in which at leastsome portion of source code 302 or markup language 1002 is compiledduring development and before explicit compilation into first byte code202. Typically, a background computer process can compile incrementalportions of source code 302 or markup language 1002 as the files aredeveloped. When a developer invokes a preview command in the IDE, or ifan automatic preview window in an IDE is activated, at least someportion of the compiled byte code 202 and/or markup language code 1002is displayed. In the present embodiment according to the invention, thepreview process includes the additional step of converting at least aportion of the source byte code 202 or markup language 1002 into targetsecond byte code 206 and/or second markup language as describedpreviously. The preview of an application or display executing convertedbyte code 206 and/or markup language code can be invoked explicitly,such as with a developer pressing a “preview” graphical IDE button, orimplicitly, such as every time first source code file 302 is saved oredited. For example, if a developer working with C# source code 302 andXAML markup language code 1002 in Visual Studio invoked the previewfunction according to the invention, a byte code converting plug-incould dynamically create a SWF byte code file 206 from at least aportion of the C# source code 302 and XAML markup language 1002 usingsteps described above. The resulting SWF byte code file 206 could thenbe executed and displayed graphically in a Visual Studio preview window.The byte code transformation step 1004 can run as a process thatcontinually creates target byte code 206 output, or incrementallytransforms source byte code 202 when the preview functionality requiresupdated target byte code 206.

In yet another embodiment according to the invention, the transformingstep 1004 can adjust the target platform for the created second bytecode 206. Byte code such as SWF can “target” a certain computerplatform, such as the Windows, Mac OS X or Linux platforms, and displaygraphical objects in the application in a manner consistent with theplatform. A developer or automatic IDE process can select an appropriatetarget platform, and step 1004 will transform first byte code 202 into asecond byte code 206 targeting one or more specific computer platforms.Moreover, some graphical IDEs include visual object editors containing agraphical user interface for programming an application. Typically, adeveloper can manipulate application objects, such as display items orcontrols, using the visual editor and without resorting to typing textsource code. An IDE visual object editor conventionally uses somesimilar functionality to the “preview” functionality described above, inthat graphical controls and display items are laid out in an analogousmanner to how they will appear in a compiled native byte codeapplication. The present embodiment of the invention extends the visualeditor to graphically display visual objects as they will substantiallyappear in the converted target byte code 206. For example, if adeveloper is programming C# source code 302 in Visual Studio andintending to target SWF byte code 206, the Visual Studio visual objecteditor will display graphical objects as they will substantially appearin an executing instance of SWF byte code 206, and not like anapplication executing native compiled CIL byte code 202, which typicallyappears in accordance with the native System.Windows.Forms,System.Drawing, and System.Drawing.Drawing2D APIs from the .NetFramework.

In a further embodiment, if the first source code 302 is developedagainst development libraries of a second type, such as those describedfor FIG. 3, the native compiled first byte code 202 can utilize one ormore display elements to appear as will the second byte code 206. Forexample, C# source code 302 developed against a SWF target developmentlibrary can be compiled in Visual Studio to a first CIL byte code 202.However, the resulting CIL byte code 202 can appear when executed todisplay objects in substantially the same manner as an analogous SWFbyte code application. The advantage of this embodiment is that adeveloper can develop a byte code application in a native first bytecode format and observe the application display as it will whenconverted to a second byte code 206. This way, a developer can performnearly all program development using only native source code 302, markuplanguage 1002, and byte code 202, and wait until the end of thedevelopment process to create a target byte code of a different type206.

While various embodiments of the invention have been described above, itshould be understood that they have been presented by way of exampleonly, and not limitation. Thus, the breadth and scope of the presentinvention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplaryembodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the followingclaims and their equivalents.

1. A method to execute a computer program written for a first computerarchitecture on a second computer architecture in which a source codefor the computer program has been compiled into byte code of a firsttype by converting the byte code of the first type and markup languageinto byte code of a second type when there is direct mapping of the dataelements of the first type of byte code to data elements of the secondtype of byte code, wherein when there is no direct mapping of at leastsome of the data elements of the first type of byte code to dataelements of the second type of byte code, a bridging byte code isinserted into the second type of byte code, the method comprising:receiving a first byte code for a computer program at a byte codeinterpreter of a computer system, wherein said first byte code is ofsaid first type and contains one or more data elements of said firstbyte code type; receiving a markup language code at said byte codeinterpreter of said computer system, wherein said markup language coderefers to at least one said data element in said first byte code,wherein the markup language data elements comprises data structuresdefining colors, lines, shapes, text and layout position in markuplanguage code; referencing at least one byte code mapping library at thebyte code interpreter, wherein said byte code mapping library containsone or more instructions for mapping one of said first byte code dataelements of said first type to one or more of said second data elementsof said second byte code type, or a bridging byte code only when thereis no direct mapping of data elements in order to compensate for a lackof programming constructs equivalence between the first byte code andsecond byte code; mapping at least a portion of said first byte codedata elements to one or more second data elements of said second bytecode type or inserting a bridging byte code; converting said markuplanguage code into one or more markup language data elements;referencing at least one markup language mapping library, wherein saidmarkup language mapping library contains one or more instructions formapping one of said markup language data elements to one or more saidsecond data elements of said second byte code type, wherein the markuplanguage data elements comprises data structures defining colors, lines,shapes, text and layout position in markup language code; mapping atleast a portion of said markup language data elements to one or moresecond data elements of said second byte code type or inserting abridging byte code; converting at least a portion of said second dataelements into said second byte code; and, executing the computer programusing the functional aspects of the byte code of the second type and thedisplay aspects of the markup language from the second byte code.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, additionally comprising the step of converting atleast a portion of said markup language code into one or more mediafiles.
 3. The method of claim 2, additionally comprising the step ofconverting at least a portion of said first byte code into one or moresaid media files.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein at least one of saidmedia files are image files comprising at least one of the PortableNetwork Graphics, Joint Photographic Experts Group, Graphics InterchangeFormat, or bitmap image file formats.
 5. The method of claim 2, whereinat least one of said media files are sound files comprising at least oneof the Audio Interchange File Format, MP3, WAVEform audio format,Windows Media Audio, Advanced Audio Coding, Ogg Vorbis, or Real Audiosound file formats.
 6. The method of claim 2, wherein at least one ofsaid media files are video files comprising at least one of theQuickTime, MPEG, RealVideo, Audio Video Interleave, or Windows MediaVideo video file formats.
 7. A method to execute a computer programwritten for a first computer architecture on a second computerarchitecture in which a source code for the computer program has beencompiled into byte code of a first type by converting the byte code ofthe first type and markup language into byte code of a second type, themarkup language defining the user interface of the computer program,when there is direct mapping of the data elements of the first type ofbyte code to data elements of the second type of byte code, wherein whenthere is no direct mapping of at least some of the data elements of thefirst type of byte code to data elements of the second type of bytecode, a bridging byte code is inserted into the second type of bytecode, the method comprising: receiving a first byte code for a computerprogram at a byte code interpreter of a computer system, wherein saidfirst byte code is of said first type and contains one or more dataelements of said first byte code type; receiving a markup language codeat said byte code interpreter of said computer system, wherein saidmarkup language code refers to at least one said data element in saidfirst byte code, wherein the markup language data elements comprisesdata structures defining colors, lines, shapes, text and layout positionin markup language code; referencing at least one byte code mappinglibrary at the byte code interpreter, wherein said byte code mappinglibrary contains one or more instructions for mapping one of said firstbyte code data elements of said first type to one or more of said seconddata elements of said second byte code type, or a bridging byte codeonly when there is no direct mapping of data elements in order tocompensate for a lack of programming constructs equivalence between thefirst byte code and second byte code; mapping at least a portion of saidfirst byte code data elements to one or more second data elements ofsaid second byte code type, or inserting a bridging byte code;converting at least a portion of said second data elements into saidsecond byte code; converting at least a portion of said markup languagecode into a source code, wherein said source code comprises at least oneof the Java programming language, Common Language Infrastructureprogramming language, or the ActionScript programming language sourcecode format; compiling at least a portion of said source code into athird byte code; converting at least a portion of said third byte codeinto said second byte code or inserting a bridging byte code; andexecuting the computer program using the functional aspects of the bytecode of the second type and the display aspects of the markup languagefrom the second byte code.
 8. A method to execute a computer programwritten for a first computer architecture on a second computerarchitecture in which a source code for the computer program has beencompiled into a byte code of a first type by converting the byte code ofthe first type and a markup language into byte code of a second type,the markup language defining the display aspects or user interface ofthe computer program operative with the byte code of the second type,when there is direct mapping of the data elements of the first type ofbyte code to data elements of the second type of byte code; wherein whenthere is no direct mapping of at least some of the data elements of thefirst type of byte code to data elements of the second type of bytecode, a bridging byte code is inserted into the second type of bytecode, the method comprising: receiving a first byte code and a markuplanguage at a byte code interpreter of a computer system, wherein themarkup language data elements comprises data structures defining colors,lines, shapes, text and layout position in markup language code, whereinthe first byte code is compiled from source code comprising CommonLanguage Infrastructure programming language; converting said first bytecode into an intermediate language format; parsing the intermediatelanguage format to create an intermediate data structure wherein theintermediate data structure represents the syntactic structure of thefirst byte code, the intermediate data structure used as a mappingreference between the first byte code and the second byte code;converting the markup language into an object graph; converting theobject graph and the intermediate data structure into a second byte codecomprising SWF byte code language format; the converting includinginserting a bridge byte code to the second byte code, the bridging bytecode used only when there is no direct mapping of data elements in orderto compensate for a lack of programming construct equivalence betweenthe first byte code and second byte code, executing the computer programusing the functional aspects of the byte code of the second type and thedisplay aspects of the markup language from the second byte code.